The district reported 47 COVID-19 cases and seven recoveries on Friday. The patients include 20 contact cases and nine persons with no travel history.
Among the others, 13 persons came are from abroad and five have travelled from other Indian States including Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Delhi. Cases with no travel history have been reported from Kollam, Alappad, Sakthikulangara, Velinallur, Chithara and Poothakulam.
The number of COVID-19 patients in the district first crossed 40 on July 16 and it hit 47 on Friday. Though most of the cases were from abroad earlier, the number of contact cases started going up after July 10.
Priority
“Saving lives is the priority of the government and we are hoping to control the spread of the virus by August-end,” said Fisheries Minister J.Mercykutty Amma here on Friday. As part of the containment measures, district administration has already arranged 2,113 beds and auditoriums in 13 panchayats will be soon converted into COVID-19 first-line treatment centres.
Doctors, volunteers and sanitation workers working in the centres will be given special training and all panchayats have been instructed to set up minimum 100 beds.
“Elderly persons living in containment zones will be given extra attention and it will be ensured that they have no difficulty in getting food. If needed community kitchens should be restarted for this,” said the Minister. She has also directed local bodies to arrange 10,000 beds by July 21.
