Spike in COVID-19 cases in Kerala after 10 more test positive

In a sharp spike, ten people, four of them who had flown in from abroad recently, have tested positive for COVID-19 in Kerala on Wednesday (May 13) as the number of those under treatment for the infection climbed to 41.

Of this, three are from Malappuram, two each from Wayanad and Palakkad districts and one each from Kottayam, Kannur and Kozhikode districts.

While four of the infected had come from abroad, two from Chennai and four had been infected through contact, a government press release said.

With the addition of the fresh cases, the tally of those infected has gone up to 534.

Two police personnel of the Manathavady police station in Wayanad have tested positive and are contacts of the truck driver who had returned from the Koyambedu market in Chennai and infected 10 people.

Wayanad district collector Adila Abdulla said samples of all those who had come in contact with the truck driver would once again be tested.

The driver’s wife and daughter and grandchild were among those who were infected. His daughter’s samples had earlier been negative.

The sample of a man from Kollam has returned negative on Wednesday.

According to the release, 490 people have been cured in the state, and 41 are presently under treatment in various hospitals.

At least 34,447 people are under observation, 494 in various hospitals, it said.

It said 39,380 samples (including Augmented samples) were sent for testing of which results of 35,509 samples received are negative.

Besides this, as part of sentinel surveillance, (health and migrant workers and those having high social contact) 4,268 samples were collected of which 4,065 were negative.

There are no new hotspots in the state on Wednesday.

The state has so far reported three COVID-19 fatalities, including a four-month-old baby girl.

Kerala has been witnessing a steady increase in the coronavirus cases with non-resident Keralites, stranded abroad, and other states, returning to the state.

Related news: Kerala: Five more people test positive for COVID-19, active cases 32

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said elaborate arrangements for testing those coming to the state by road, rail, flights, and ships would be made.

“We are entering a new phase of COVID-19 prevention as Pravasi (expatriates) Malayalaees are returning. It will be a big challenge to keep those coming from hotspots safe,” Vijayan said on Tuesday.

For several days in recent weeks, the state had reported either nil or fresh cases in single digits.