For the second day in a row, over a thousand people in the district have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.
Of the 1,228 newly infected persons, the source of infection of 160 people remains untraced. A total of 1,032 people have contracted the infection through local contact. Eight health workers have been infected.
The number of recoveries also crossed the 1,000-mark on Sunday, with 1,036 people testing negative on the day.
Around 30,844 people remain in quarantine in the district. The total active caseload stands at 12,804. At the Government Medical College Hospital, Kalamassery, which has the capacity to treat about 300 patients, 246 patients are currently admitted. At PVS Hospital, another COVID-19 facility, 48 patients are being treated. At private hospitals in the district, 695 patients are being treated, while 9,041 people remain in isolation at home. Around 1,470 people are at first-line treatment centres in the district.
For testing, 2,747 samples were collected from government and private facilities. The figure has dipped from over 7,900 samples collected on Saturday and 5,511 samples sent for testing on Friday.
About 55 people have tested positive from Thrikkakara, 53 people from Fort Kochi, 38 from Mattancherry, 31 from Thripunithura, 34 from Chengamanad and 41 from Cheranalloor. Perumbavoor, Muvattupuzha, Rayamangalam, Palluruthy and Kumbalangi recorded over 20 new cases each on Sunday.
Private hospitals
At all private hospitals in the district, 10% of the beds set aside for COVID-19 patients would be brought under the Karunya Arogya Suraksha Padhathi (KASP), the government’s healthcare scheme, said Mathews Numpeli, district programme manager, National Health Mission. The rates for COVID-19 treatment have been capped for hospitals empanelled as part of the scheme. While a few hospitals had already been empanelled for COVID-19 treatment, at present all private hospitals had been directed to offer at least a few beds under government rates, said Dr. Numpeli. If the KASP beds were set aside, about 200 ICU beds and 50 ventilators would be available at private hospitals at government-fixed rates, he said.
