The district recorded a sharp spike in the number of COVID-19 cases on Tuesday with six persons testing positive for the viral infection.
Of the six cases, four came from abroad while one returned from Chennai. The remaining patient contracted the infection through contact.
The persons who tested positive during the day included a 60-year-old woman from Kumarakom, who came from Abu Dhabi on May 17 and a 28-year-old woman from Perunna who returned from Dubai on May 16. Among the remaining four, an elderly couple, aged 79 and 71 from Payipad, returned from Dubai on May 11 and were in home quarantine at Nalukodi. A 24 year-old man from Vazhappalli, near Changanassery, returned from Chennai. Another patient is from Meenadom.
All the patients have been shifted to COVID-19 isolation wards at the Government Medical College Hospital, Kottayam, and the District General Hospital by evening.
One discharged
Meanwhile, a 29-year-old who returned from Abu Dhabi was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday after testing negative. The man, who arrived on an Abu Dhabi-Kochi flight on May 7, tested positive for the disease on May 18 while undergoing institutional quarantine at Kothanalloor.
In view of the rising number of cases, the authorities have decided to expand the sample collection process in the district and extended the time schedule for sample collection at six taluk hospitals to 8 p.m.
Shramik Special
A Shramik Special train carrying migrant workers left for West Bengal from Kottayam around 7 p.m. The train carries 1,464 passengers.
