Don Bosco Guwahati teachers & support staff test negative for COVID-19

GUWAHATI: Teachers and support staff of the Don Bosco school in Panbazar, Guwahati, tested negative for the dreaded COVID-19 on Monday -- the same day that the premises of the school was sealed as a 'Containment Zone' after a teacher of the school tested positive for the virus.

The school has been declared a containment zone from today till February 27, a circular issued by Kamrup (Metro) deputy commissioner Biswajit Pegu said. The circular also stated that all the teachers of the school will have to undergo COVID-19 tests at an alternative place to be arranged by the school authorities on Monday. The district administration has also asked the guardians to get any student showing any COVID-19 symptom tested at their nearest testing facility.

Following this, the Assam health department officials reached the school premises to conduct Rapid Antigen tests.

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These latest developments have been reported amid reports of a new variant of the coronavirus.

Meanwhile, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) director, Dr. Randeep Guleria said that the new COVID-19 strains found in Maharashtra could be more dangerous and highly transmissible, and could even cause re-infections in people who have developed antibodies to the virus.

The AIIMS director said, “In India, herd immunity for coronavirus is a “myth” because at least 80 % of the people need to have antibodies to protect the entire population.”

Asked if the COVID-19 vaccines in India are effective against the new strain, Dr. Guleria said, the vaccines will be effective, but their efficacy might be less.