UP: 57 girls at govt-run shelter home in Kanpur test positive for COVID-19

In what comes as a disturbing development, as many as 57 girls at a government-run shelter home in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur were found to be COVID-19 positive. Among them, five are currently pregnant and thereby stand the added risk.

"57 positive cases have been reported, all have been admitted to hospitals. Five girls among them are pregnant, they were brought at the shelter home, under various POCSO cases, from different places," news agency ANI quoted BR Tiwari, the District Magistrate.

Earlier, controversies had erupted around the shelter home after news broke out of the girls being pregnant, raising questions on the standards of the facility. However, with the clarifications of the District Magistrate, the situation was explained and handled.

"All 5 were already pregnant when they were brought at the shelter home. Other than that, 2 other pregnant girls living at the shelter have tested negative for COVID-19," said Tiwari.

According to reports, Poonam Kapoor, a member of the UP State Women's Commission, has said that the girls likely got infected with the virus when the shelter home staff visiting a Kanpur hospital came into contact with COVID-19 patients

The staff of the shelter home has been reportedly quarantined and the entire facility has been sealed since it is now potentially a COVID-19 cluster.

In the last 24 hours, 596 new COVID-19 cases have been reported in Uttar Pradesh, there are 6,186 active cases and 10,995 patients have been discharged so far, said Principal Health Secretary Amit Mohan Prasad. The death toll stands at 550 in the state, Prasad informed.

(With ANI inputs)