The district reported 151 new cases of COVID-19 and 53 recoveries on Sunday.
Among the patients are 142 contact cases, four NRIs and two others who had travelled from Tamil Nadu and Mumbai. Three health workers, a 35-year-old Chathannur resident, a 52-year-old Kavanad resident, and a 42-year-old Enathu resident also contracted the virus through contact.
While the first has been working at a private hospital, the two others are staff of government hospitals in Kollam. The district currently has 15,730 persons under observation and the total number of samples collected is 45,093. While 750 persons completed home quarantine on Monday, the Health Department has traced 16,748 primary and 4,907 secondary contacts of the positive cases. Currently, 12 COVID-19 first-line treatment centres (FLTCs) are functioning in Kollam and the total number of active cases is 1,476.
With the caseload going up, the district administration has formed closed family groups to prevent further transmission of COVID-19. Ten to 15 houses from a ward or division will be part of the group while local body officials will be in charge of supervision. At district level, a special cell will be monitoring the containment measures and it is expected that the situation will be under control within three weeks. The Health Department has started monitoring positive cases in home isolation and at present, the district has around 10 patients coming in Category-A undergoing treatment at their homes.
District Police Chief T. Narayanan has instructed the fishers from Kavanad Amaravila to not venture into the sea since the area comes under containment zone. All fishers are directed to register their names in Jagratha portal before venturing into the sea and surveillance will be strengthened in the coastal belt along Saktikulangara, Chavara, Karunagappally, Alappad and Oachira. Bystanders of patients, released prisoners, and wedding attendees had caused maximum contact cases in rural parts according to police. A medical officer and teams of Excise and Forest departments will be deployed at Amaravila in Kollam Corporation that reported severe transmission.
