Fifty-four persons tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, making it the highest ever spike in the number of cases in the district. Twenty-five of the newly infected people contracted the disease through contact with patients. Twenty-five persons were cured of the disease on the day. The number of active COVID-19 cases in the district has been placed at 293. The sources of infection of 30 residents who contracted the disease in the past three days remain unknown.
The Health authorities here are much concerned about the steadily growing cases of local transmission of COVID-19, especially in places centred around markets.
District Medical Officer A.L. Sheeja said people should take maximum precautions against the pandemic. According to Dr. Sheeja, markets at Kumbazha, Thiruvalla, Mallappally, Kottangal, Malayalappuzha and Pandalam have been identified as potential hotspots. People are advised to stay indoors as much as possible.
Dr. Sheeja said medical officers had been posted at the block-level to identify the contacts of infected people. The places from where 10 or more primary contacts had been identified would be declared containment zones, she said.
RT-PCR test facility
Dr. Sheeja said RT-PCR test facility would be made available at the district hospital in Kozhencherry in the next 10 days. Installation of machinery was fast progressing at the hospital.
Already three Firstline COVID-19 Treatment Centres have been opened in the district and two more centres would be opened soon at Perinad and Kozhencherry.
The DMO said rapid antigen tests had been conducted at Kumbazha where two fish vendors in the municipal limits tested positive for COVID-19 in the past two days.
