Mumbai: Twenty-two people from a boarding school and orphanage in Mumbai -- 15 of them children -- have tested positive for coronavirus. The St Joseph's School and Orphanage -- open through lockdowns for orphans and underprivileged children -- has been sealed by the city's civic body Brihanmumbai Corporation. Health Minister Rajesh Tope said their health is stable and they are receiving treatment.
Four of the students -- aged below 12 years -- have been shifted to the paediatric ward of the Nair Hospital.
Eleven teens have been shifted to the Covid care centre at the of Richardson and Cruddas campus. The seven adults have been admitted there as well.
Sources said altogether, 95 people were tested for Covid after two people at the institution tested positive.
The outbreak comes amid concerns about a third possible wave of coronavirus and apprehension whether children would be particularly vulnerable to it.
Schools, colleges and educational institution -- shut since March last year -- have not been opened though some states have started considering it.
Earlier this month, the country's drug regulator approved Zydus Cadila's three-dose COVID-19 DNA vaccine for emergency use in adults and children aged 12 years and above. The rollout for children is expected to take place in October, though dates have not been announced yet.
The overall Covid numbers in Maharashtra, though, has been dipping even though they contain a chunk of Delta-Plus variants.
The recovery rate in the state has crossed 97 per cent while the fatality rate is 2.11 per cent. Mumbai has one of the lowest infection rates in the state.