Fears over widening of existing COVID-19 clusters in Kottayam have intensified further with the district reporting 35 cases of the virus infection through local contact.
The district on Tuesday reported 39 fresh cases. Besides local contact cases, three patients came from other States and one person from abroad.
According to officials, 16 of the fresh cases were linked to the Changanassery market, where 43 persons have been confirmed with virus infection so far. Workers and traders in the fish and vegetable markets there, their relatives, drivers and a few others who visited the market have been infected with the virus. A total of 532 persons have been subjected to COVID tests there so far, and the number of cases is expected to go up further in the coming days.
Similarly, four more persons were added to the medium-scale cluster that was formed in Parathodu in the previous week. With this, the number of cases in this cluster has increased to 23. A father, his two daughters, and a four-year-old grandchild are the new positive cases in this cluster.
Meanwhile, a fresh cluster has been formed in Chingavanam where a 29-year-old man tested positive earlier this month. Six persons, all native of Veloor, where the patient had attended a house-warming function earlier, were detected with the virus infection on Tuesday.
In Vaikom, two vendors at the Kolothumkadavu fish market contracted the virus from unknown source. A fish vendor in Thirvathukkal in Kottayam contracted the virus through local contact. Similarly, the cluster formed by a patient from Manarcad also widened further with three persons in a family from Thalayazham testing positive. A 62-year-old woman in Ettumanur and a 25-year-old man from Thiruvarp also contracted the virus through contact, while an automobile workshop employee in Kumarakom was found with virus infection from unknown source.
At the same time, 10 persons recovered from the disease on the day taking the total number active cases to 293.
