The district COVID control cell has issued an alert against the uptick in local transmission of the infection, pointing out that 87% of the total cases were through contact with already infected people.
The source of infection of six per cent of the patients was not known. Health Department officials said on Monday that those who ignored the warnings and guidelines related to COVID protocol were contributing to the rise in the number of new cases. The test positivity rate had gone up from 13.5% to 17.6% in a week.
Ninety eight per cent of the infected persons in the past two weeks were from villages. Some people were misusing the concessions given to those who were struggling without jobs and means of survival. This was adding momentum to the spread of the infection. Celebrations without any precautions were one of the many reasons for the rise in local transmission cases.
ADVERTISEMENT
As many as 128 people, who belong to the Category B patients with mild symptoms, were going under observation every day. People who had primary contact with infected persons were reluctant to go into self-quarantine. This, along with throwing caution to the wind, was among the reasons for local transmission, the officials claimed.
They pointed out that of the 110 people who died in the district, 65% were aged above 75. Eight per cent of people had comorbidities, or other health problems. The rise in number of cases was necessitating a corresponding increase in the number of tests. So far, over 5 lakh tests had been held in Kozhikode district, the officials added.