Irfan negative in second Covid test
● Olympic-bound race walker K. T. Irfan was among five athletes who tested positive for Covid-19 at the centre in a weekly test conducted on May 7.
New Delhi, May 14: Olympic-bound race walker K.T. Irfan and four other elite track-and-field athletes have returned negative for Covid-19 in a confirmatory second test conducted at Sports Authority of India’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, the nodal body said on Friday.
Irfan was among five athletes who tested positive for Covid-19 at the centre in a weekly test conducted on May 7.
But the SAI on Friday confirmed that all these athletes, who got their first jab of Covid-19 vaccine on April 29, have returned negative in the second test conducted on Thursday.
However, the SAI said out of 22 athletes, who underwent the tests, one is still positive but it didn’t disclose any further details.
“All have tested negative in the second test conducted yesterday, the results of which came on Friday morning. All athletes at the SAI campus across the country are being tested on a weekly basis,” a SAI source said.
A total of 16 tests were conducted on Friday, which included two steeplechase athletes, two male race walkers, a male middle and long distance runner, two female middle and long distance athletes, four para athletes, besides a para coach and an NCOE athlete.
Others to test negative are two SAI resident staff and one housekeeping worker.
During the weekly test conducted May 6 and 7, 22 athletes tested positive for coronavirus.
“They were asymptomatic and isolated and kept under medical observation. 21 of the 22 athletes have since tested negative after a repeat RT PCR test was done,” the SAI stated.
“Among those who have tested negative are, race walker K.T. Irfan, middle and long distance athletes P.U. Chitra and Sandeep Kumar and para athlete Mariyappan Thangavelu. Hockey players Chinglensena Singh and Vivek Sagar Prasad are also among those who have tested negative,’ the SAI said in a statement.
At SAI Bengaluru, where athletes in hockey, track and field and para-athletics are based, all have been vaccinated on April 29.