No fresh COVID cases in Kottayam for second day

In a breather to the residents of Kottayam, the district did not record a single fresh case of COVID-19 on Tuesday and Wednesday after a sudden spurt in the viral infection for five days.

According to officials, the results of all 209 samples received during the day were negative.

The authorities are now awaiting the results of 272 samples collected over the past couple of days and 86 samples collected on Wednesday.

Of the 209 samples tested negative during the day, 201 samples belonged to people like police officers, elderly people and pregnant women who had no history of direct contact with COVID-19 patients.

Meanwhile, a meeting to review the preparedness of Kottayam against the COVID-19 outbreak here on Wednesday decided to expand the scope of sampling to include more elderly persons and direct contacts of the existing patients, among others.

The meeting, convened by the senior bureaucrat Alkesh Kumar Sharma, also decided to conduct surveys at the local body level to identify people having symptoms of the disease. The data collected through the survey should be handed over to the respective government hospitals in a time-bound manner.

Protocol

The surveillance on people in home quarantine will be strengthened to ensure that they do not violate the quarantine protocol. Speaking on the occasion, Mr.Sharma also suggested the Buildings Division of the Public Works Department to arrange for opening more COVID care centres.

The decision to expand the scope of sampling came in the backdrop of reports that several among the COVID-19 patients here had consulted government dispensaries even after developing mild symptoms of the viral infection. They, however, were referred for COVID tests only at a later stage.

For instance, the female nurse from Punnathura who was tested positive on April 26 had approached the Community Health Center, Ayarkkunnam on four occasions (April 6, 11, 19 and 24), but was referred to the district General Hospital, Kottayam only on the fourth occasion.

According to experts, the delay in conducting the COVID tests, might have triggered the chances for a silent transmission.

No possibility

They, however, also pointed out that each of these patients had been linked to other patients some way or the other and hence there was no possibility for a community transmission at this juncture.