Kottayam district on Monday reported 1,275 fresh COVID-19 cases and of this, all but 10 were caused through local transmission. The TPR for the day stood at 19.54 %.
With 286 recoveries during the day, the district currently has 18,753 active cases while 43,959 people are under surveillance.
Kottayam municipality, which reported 186 cases, continued to witness a spurt in cases, followed by Puthuppally with 53 cases. Kurichy panchayat reported 50 cases, while Changanassery , Karukachal and Chirakkadavu reported 44 cases each.
With the test positivity rate in 54 out of the 77 local bodies crossing the 20% mark, the health authorities in Kottayam have been on their toes to contain the spread.As per estimates, 13,822 people out of the 58,176 people who were subjected to testing from April 19 and April 25, have tested positive for the disease. The test positivity rate reported during the period was 23.34 %, as against the highest TPR of 11 % during the first wave.
TPR of 56.26 % is the highest in Chembu near Vaikom , followed by Maravanthuruth (45.5%), Thalayazham (45.3 %) and Udayanapuram (41.99 %).
Of the 389 people examined in Maravanthuruth, 177 were found to be infected while 150 out of 331 in Thalayazham and 262 out of 624 in Udayanapuram too were tested positive.
The TPR, meanwhile, hovers between 30 and 40 % mark in as many as 10 panchayats including Arppokkara, Kumarakom , Meenadom and Pambady .
The rising number of cases appears to have put the treatment capabilities of Kottayam under severe stress. For instance, the Taluk hospital in Pambady and the FLTC that functions at an engineering college campus here are fast running out of bed space.
Similarly, the General Hospital in Pala reported a shortage in oxygen for the second time in a week on Monday though the issue was settled soon. When contacted, District Medical Officer Jacob Varghese said such shortages could be just a temporary phenomenon.
“New oxygen supply units have been opened in Kottayam General Hospital and the Vaikom Taluk Hospital while arrangements are also in place in the hospitals at Uzhavur, Mundakkayam, Pala and Pambadi,” the official said.
Alappuzha
The district reported 1,183 COVID-19 cases on Monday. The new cases include 1,180 patients who contracted the disease through local contact. The source of infection of one patient remains unidentified. One person each who came from abroad and another State also tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.
Of the 1,183 cases, 141 were logged from the Alappuzha municipal area. Kayamkulam municipality reported 62 cases, followed by Cherthala (43), Mavelikara (27), Chengannur (24) and Haripad (12). Among the grama panchayats, Panavally registered 78 cases. Kavalam (47), Venmony (45), Chettikulangara (43), Ambalappuzha North (29) and Krishnapuram (28) also recorded a high number of cases. The district’s test positivity rate stands at 21.96%.
Meanwhile, 688 people who were undergoing treatment for the disease in the district recovered.
In view of rising COVID-19 cases, the district administration has decided to convert General Hospital, Alappuzha into a COVID-19 treatment centre
Pathanamthitta
The number of fresh COVID-19 cases in Pathanamthitta recorded a marginal drop on Monday with just 457 people testing positive for the virus infection.
Of this, 425 people contracted the virus through local transmission while the contact source of 11 people were yet to be ascertained. The municipalities of Pathanamthitta and Thiruvalla, which reported 47 cases each, recorded the highest number of cases.
With 254 recoveries during the day, the district currently has 8,010 patients while 18,151 others are under observation.
Meanwhile, the district reported three more COVID-19 related deaths on Monday.
In view of the rising number of cases, District Collector Narasimhugari Tej Lohit Reddy has issued directions to open First-line treatment centres (FLTC) in all local bodies across the district. The plan also stipulates arranging 1,500 beds in the first five days.
The Deputy Director of Panchayats has been directed to prepare and submit a list of FLTC units having a capacity of 70 to 100 beds that becomes operational by April 30.
(With contributions from bureaus in Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta)
