Uttar Pradesh: Another AMU teacher dies of COVID-19

ALIGARH: Another senior professor of AMU succumbed to coronavirus at the university's Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, according to officials, pushing the number of serving and retired faculty members who have died due to COVID or COVID-like symptoms to at least 39.

Professor Mohammad Nasiruddin (55) from the department of pharmacology died on Sunday, the hospital officials said. Professor Shahid Ali Siddiqui, principal of Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, said Nasiruddin had tested positive for COVID-19 and was admitted to the hospital two weeks ago.

Aligarh Muslim University students have submitted a memorandum to vice chancellor Tariq Mansoor urging him to set up separate vaccination centres on campus for university staff and students. So far, at least 18 serving and 21 retired AMU faculty members have died due to COVID or COVID-like symptoms. Alarmed by the deaths, the medical college had sent some samples for genome sequencing to the Institute of Genomics and Integrated Biology Laboratory, Delhi.

However, no new strain of coronavirus was found in the genome sequencing of samples collected from AMU, according to university authorities. Vice chancellor Mansoor said Nasiruddin's demise is a big blow to the AMU faculty members. On Sunday evening, AMU students took out a candle march in memory of the serving and retired faculty members who have died so far amid the pandemic.

Zaid Shervani, a student leader, said the students have submitted a memorandum to the vice chancellor urging him to establish separate vaccination centres for teachers, non-teaching staff and students on the campus. "We fully support the vaccination drive, but the shortage of vaccine doses is a deterrent to its success," he said.

AMU proctor Prof Wasim Khan told reporters on Sunday that "according to available information, none of the AMU teachers who lost their lives to COVID-19 had been vaccinated". He said the students' demand for separate vaccination centres for them and university staff would be considered by AMU authorities.

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