Response to an Outbreak of COVID-19 Infection among Undergraduate Medical Students in Mumbai, Maharashtra
LM01-LM04
Correspondence
Kosturi Dakshit,
Junior Resident, Department of Community Medicine, Seth GS Medical College
and KEM Hospital, Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
E-mail: kosturi.18@gmail.com
Introduction: Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease. The most effective way to slow down the transmission is by social distancing and following all the preventive protocols.
Aim: To describe the outbreak of COVID-19 in Undergraduate (UG) medical students of a medical college in Mumbai and steps taken to control the spread as well as to break the chain of transmission of COVID-19 infection.
Materials and Methods: The institutional contact tracing team contacted the positive case and identified contacts as soon as they were notified between 28th September, 2021 to 7th October, 2021 at Seth GSMC and KEMH, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. A total of 40 students were isolated due to the contraction of COVID infection. History was taken by telephonic calls. Meetings were held among the institute and hostel authorities to prevent the spread. All the contacts of positive cases were separated in a quarantine facility. COVID appropriate behaviour (CAB) was implemented strictly and swab of symptomatic students were taken for Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR). Non academic leisure activities were suspended temporarily. Academic lectures were shifted to an online platform.
Results: This outbreak lasted over a period of 10 days, a total of 40 students were isolated and 89 students were quarantined. Most of the students who were infected were residing in the hostels, 27 (67.5%) and had come in contact with other positive students during the college’s cultural fest. Majority of positive cases had received both doses of COVID vaccination. Mild symptoms were present in 87.5% students and rest were asymptomatic. Cases were detected from the same cluster of students and follow-up was done for the next two weeks.
Conclusion: Strategies like scheduled testing for in-campus students, strict implementation of CAB and temporary withdrawal of activities which causes gathering helped effectively to control the spread.