As many as 70 persons, including a House Surgeon at the Government Medical College in Kottayam, tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 here on Sunday.
According to officials, three persons had landed from abroad and three others returned from other States while the remaining 64 persons contracted the virus through local transmission. Athirampuzha panchayat reported 14 cases while Ettumanur municipality reported nine cases. The Kottayam and Vaikom municipalities reported seven cases each.
Further, six persons who had been in the contact list of a COVID-19 patient from the Vaikom market too tested positive. At the same time, 40 persons who had recovered from the disease were discharged from the various hospitals here during the day. Similarly, 278 persons including 75 people who landed from abroad were directed to go into quarantine.
The total number of active cases in Kottayam currently stands at 587 while 723 persons have recovered so far.
The Ettumanur municipality, which has been declared as a containment zone, wore a deserted look during the day with majority of the shops remaining closed and strict regulations imposed on vehicular traffic. Barricades have been erected along different roads leading to the municipality and only vehicles on emergency are permitted entry into the town.
Pathanamthitta
Meanwhile, the Pathanamthitta district reported a decline in the number of COVID-19 cases with just 25 persons testing positive for the virus. Of this, 18 persons including three health workers contracted the virus through local transmission while five persons had landed from abroad. The remaining two persons returned to the district from other State.
According to officials, nine of the local transmission cases were linked to the Changaanassery cluster while the source of virus infection for at least two persons are yet to be identified.
As many as 3,833 persons including 1,190 persons who returned from abroad are currently under observation in the district here.
