Nearly 50 residents of the district jail at Kakkanad have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, forcing the prison authorities to adopt precautionary measures.
In an initial antigen test, 16 were found to be infected following which RT-PCR tests were held for the residents which revealed the extent of infection.
The infected have been isolated, sources said. They are being examined regularly by an in-house doctor.
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Plans are on to conduct another round of RT-PCR tests for the rest early next week. Thankfully, only two of the staff members who incidentally chose not to vaccinate have been infected. All the rest have received at least one dose of vaccination, which the prison sources felt is turning out to be a formidable defence against the pandemic.
The prison, with a capacity for 132, now houses around 185 with no move yet to reduce the occupancy.