Covid cases rise at K-P educational institutions

PESHAWAR: Despite the Omicron variant’s highly contagious nature, residents of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) has not subscribed to the threat it poses resultantly the infections are picking up pace - most notably in schools.

According to the K-P Health Department the coronavirus positivity rate at educational institutions has risen to a troubling 13%. Furthermore, the provincial health department has closed around 53 schools, colleges, and universities in Mardan district while around 50 educational institutions in Peshawar for ten days after multiple reports of students contracting the virus.

The high positivity rate has troubled parents and students alike with their concerns being health related and the quality of education being compromised due to online schooling.

While the reliance on technology to teach might be low, it could further aid the rise in infections as the upsurge in Covid-19 has resulted in more than 207,000 confirmed cases and a positivity rate of 9.8% across the province.