COVID-19 test positivity rate nosedived to 10.7 in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday when 591 people were diagnosed with the infection from among 5,481 people who were subjected to testing during the last 24 hours.
Bringing more relief, 831 people who were convalescing in hospitals and other places recovered from the infection, taking the number of active cases in the district to 8,521.
Among those who tested positive, 578 acquired the infection through local transmission, while the source of infection in 125 of them were unknown. Eleven health workers and two imported cases were among the caseload.
Five more deaths – those of natives of Poovar, Chirayinkeezhu, Edava, Pallipuram and Karyavattom – have been attributed to the disease, taking the death toll to 415.
The district administration placed 1,680 more people under quarantine. With this, the total number of people quarantined has gone up to 25,489 in houses and 174 in various institutions.
338 pulled up
As many as 338 people were pulled up by sectoral magistrates to violating the prohibitory orders in the district.
While cases were registered against 29 people who flouted COVID-19 protocol, 70 people were fined by the sectoral magistrates and police for various offences.
Action has been adopted against 17,243 people so far since the clamping of prohibitory orders on October 4.
New testing centre
A new testing centre comprising kiosks will become operational at the General Hospital, designated an exclusive COVID-19 hospital, on Monday.
The facility, which will collect swab samples for RT-PCR and rapid antigen testing, is expected to boost testing in the district.
The kiosks will also be beneficial to those looking to test themselves at the end of their quarantine periods.
