44 Staff At Aligarh University Die Of Covid, Calls For Genome Sequencing

Around 16,000 AMU students stay in 19 hostels and many of whom stayed on in the earlier wave - when the university was shut - but now even they are leaving

Forty-four employees of the Aligarh Muslim University - 19 professors and 25 non-teaching staff - have died after contracting the Covid virus, sparking concern over yet more cases, and deaths, emerging from the prestigious educational institution. AMU Vice Chancellor Tariq Mansoor wrote to the ICMR (Indian Council for Medical Research, the central government's nodal body in this crisis) to say the deaths were from a "lethal" variant. Samples have been sent to Delhi's CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) to conduct genome sequencing to identify the particular strain(s) in circulation. "The university's cemetery is now full. This is a huge tragedy. A lot of big doctors and senior professors, including a dean and a chairman, have died. Young people - who are fit and healthy - have also died," Dr Arshi Khan, a professor of political science, said.