The total number of active cases in the district rose to 4,001 on Friday with 569 more persons, including six health workers, testing positive for SARS-CoV-2. While 552 patients contracted the virus through local contact, four patients are NRIs, and seven had arrived from other States. The Health Department also confirmed that the deaths of a 69-year-old Vazhathoppu resident, 90-year-old Kollam resident and 68-year-old Chadayamangalam residents are due to COVID-19. They died on September 3, 18 and 23 respectively. Among the health workers who tested positive, four are attached to private facilities while two have been working at Kayamkulam Taluk Hospital and Kollam District Hospital.
Corporation limits
While Kollam Corporation, where more than 150 persons tested positive, has the highest number of new patients, Alappad reported over 50 new cases on Friday.
Karunagappally, Sooranad North, and Kulasekharapuram are the other places to report maximum cases.
Meanwhile, the district administration has started taking action against private hospitals that deny treatment to patients who test positive. A private hospital had forced a patient, who was undergoing treatment there, to go to Kollam District Hospital after the person tested positive.
District Hospital superintendent D. Vasanthadas brought the incident to the attention of district administration at a review meeting held on Friday. District Collector B. Abdul Nasar had earlier instructed all private and cooperative hospitals with more than 100 beds to arrange temporary ICUs to admit emergency patients.
Special wards
Hospitals were also directed to open special COVID-19 wards and to form a 24-hour infection control teams. All private and cooperative hospitals should charge only the rate fixed by the government for COVID-19 treatment. “Action under the Disaster Management Act will be taken against all hospitals that deny treatment to patients,” said the Collector.
