Three-hundred samples were collected in the district on a single day under a special surveillance started by the Health Department. The samples were collected at the Kollam District Hospital and taluk hospitals at Neendakara, Punalur, Kadakkal, and Kottarakara.
Health workers from non-COVID-19 hospitals, ASHA workers, officials from Health Department, media professionals, police, Fire and Rescue Services personnel, motor vehicle inspectors, volunteers, newspaper agents, fruit vendors, headload workers, and auto, taxi and ambulance drivers are on priority list for the test.
“Special surveillance was launched to intensify preventive measures and find if there has been any community spread,” said District Medical Officer R.Sreelatha.
Trial run of testing
Meanwhile, a trial run of TrueNat testing facilities for SARS-CoV-2 screening at the Government Medical College Hospital, Parippally, and the Public Health Lab will start on Friday. With the TrueNat centres going operational, the results will be available in one hour.
Nasopharyngeal swabs will be collected and 40 samples will be tested daily. The facility will be helpful for those who require emergency surgery, pregnant women, and the terminally ill.
The district has 23 active cases, including a 54-year-old woman from Thalavur who tested positive on Thursday. She reached Thiruvananthapuram on May 19 from Gandhinagar, Gujarat, by Rajadhani Express and from there reached Kollam on a special KSRTC service. Her sample was taken on May 25 at the Punalur Taluk Hospital and she was shifted to the Parippally hospital after she tested positive on May 28.
