College fresher party turns Covid 'super-spreader' : 281 infected

281 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in Karnataka after a fresher's party held 10 days ago at the SDM Medical College in Dharwar city, near Bangalore. The 281 infected have been confirmed to be either partygoers or their close contacts who have tested positive for the coronavirus.

Initially, 66 students and staff who attended the party were found infected with the virus; however, the number of cases directly or indirectly ranging from this event has now gone up to 281. According to the district collector, the Covid-19 test reports of as many as 1,822 suspected patients are yet to arrive. Meanwhile, the medical college has sealed two of its hostels and shut its premises for the weekend.

The superspreader event has become a focal point of criticism and concern even as the WHO has pinpointed the new 'Omicron' variant of Covid-19 as a potentially new and highly transmissible version of the virus. Scientists and vaccine manufacturers are racing to decode the viral genome to determine whether these fears are true.

According to the Karnataka government's daily bulletin, 322 new COVID cases were reported on Saturday with the total number of active cases standing at 6724. 38,196 people have died so far in the state with 3 deaths reported yesterday. The Karnataka Government has requested the central government to give permission for booster doses of the vaccine and will take measures to tighten Covid-19 precautionary measures like social distancing.