Ahmednagar: The number of COVID-19 cases at the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district has risen up to 51, which includes 48 students, a health official said on Sunday.

Their samples are being sent for genome sequencing to know whether they are carrying the Omicron variant of coronavirus, another official said.

A few days back, 19 students from the residential school in Parner tehsil had tested positive for the viral infection. The school has over 400 students across classes 5 to 12.

All the students and staff members were subjected to RT-PCR tests, Parner taluka health officer Dr Prakash Lalge told PTI.

"So far, 51 people, including 48 students and three staff members, from the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya have tested positive for coronavirus. All of them have been isolated and hospitalised. Most of the students are asymptomatic and their health is stable," the official said.

Ahmednagar district collector Rajendra Bhosale said the school campus has been declared a 'containment zone'.

"I visited the school today. As a precautionary measure, we have deployed a medical team comprising a doctor and two nurses to monitor other students on the campus (in case they develop any symptoms)," he said.

The samples of all 51 persons are being sent for genome sequencing, the collector added.

Bhosale said some parents wanted to take their wards home and they have been told a decision on this would be taken after students complete the quarantine period.

The school, part of the Navodaya Vidyalaya network which comes under the Union education ministry, is located at Takali Dhokeshwar village in Ahmednagar district.