Raising the spectre of new COVID-19 clusters, the number of cases without known sources of infection continued to mount in the capital district, even while the daily caseload fell by a half on Saturday when compared to Friday.
Among the 69 people who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, as many as 46 contracted the infection through local transmission. The administration was in the dark over the origin of infection of 11 of the cases, strengthening the possibility of silent transmission in parts of the district.
Silent transmission
They include a 26-year-old pregnant woman, hailing from Venjaramoodu, who was diagnosed with the disease after she sought treatment at SAT Hospital for fever. Other cases were reported from various parts of the district, including Vizhinjam and Varkala. An Alappuzha native with no recent history of travel was also diagnosed with the disease.
Along expected lines, the bulk of the cases were reported from coastal areas, many of which are critical containment and buffer zones such as Poonthura, Beemapally, and Muttathara. Worryingly, a cluster in Vizhinjam and surrounding areas, including Kottappuram and Venganoor, appears to be widening, accounting for nearly 15 cases.
The newly diagnosed patients in the district include a Vattappara-native supervisor of a private hospital, a medical representative hailing from Kesavadasapuram, and a Poonthura native who worked at a juice shop at Chakka. Eleven imported cases were also reported on the day.
262 cases at Poonthura
During his briefing, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said 1,366 persons had been subjected to rapid antigen detection tests at Poonthura, of which 262 had tested positive. The government would establish a 150-bed COVID-19 first-line treatment centre in the region at the earliest. The district has containment zones in 45 wards.
Meanwhile, the administration issued the flowcharts of two patients, one who worked at the pathology department of KIMS Hospital and the other, an ASHA worker attached to the Aryanad community health centre.
The City police registered three cases in connection with the demonstration, attack on health workers, and the alleged misinformation campaign at Poonthura on Friday.
