An 80-year-old woman who reached Kochi from Mumbai by train on Thursday morning was tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.
The Thrissur native was shifted to the Government Medical College Hospital (MCH), Kalamassery, on her arrival with severe respiratory distress.
On examination, she was found to have diabetic ketoacidosis along with pneumonia. She had developed kidney and heart problems too. The woman is undergoing treatment in the medical ICU with artificial respiratory support, according to Dr. A. Fathahudeen, COVID-19 nodal officer, who leads her treatment. The medical board reviewed her condition on Friday morning and decided to administer tocilizumab, a humanised monoclonal antibody, for which permission was taken from her relatives. The first dose was given in the evening. Doctors are analysing the effect of the drug, said Dr. Ganesh Mohan, resident medical officer.
Three more cases
Meanwhile, Ernakulam registered three more COVID-19 cases on Friday.
The 47-year-old woman from Kunnathunad who was tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 is a primary contact of a case which was confirmed on Wednesday.
Another case was a 48-year-old woman from Kakkanad who had arrived by the Kuwait-Kochi flight on May 27. A 63-year-old Vadavukode resident, who reached here from Abu Dhabi on May 17, was moved to the MCH after testing positive for the virus.
One case each from Alappuzha and Kollam were also admitted to the MCH.
A 25-year-old Alappuzha native, who reached here on Wednesday by a Kuwait-Kochi flight, was tested positive for the disease. She was under observation at the Muvattupuzha General Hospital and was later moved to the MCH.
A 46-year-old woman from Kollam who had arrived by the Kuwait-Kochi flight was also under observation at the Muvattupzha General Hospital. She was also moved to the MCH after she tested positive for the virus.
The total number of patients in the district is 26, of whom four are at INHS Sanjeevani. While 14 are Ernakulam natives, the others are from Kollam (2), Alappuzha (2), Thrissur (2), Palakkad (1), Uttar Pradesh (1), Lakshadweep (1), Madhya Pradesh (1), Bengal (1), and Rajasthan (1).
