Fresh COVID-19 cases go up in Kozhikode

Test positivity rate rises to 13.332%; local transmission high in city

A health worker returning home after duty at a first-line treatment centre in Kozhikode.

Fresh COVID-19 cases went up slightly in Kozhikode district on Wednesday, with 833 people testing positive for the virus. The test positivity rate jumped to 13.332% when 6,253 samples were tested.

According to the District Medical Officer, 789 of the newly infected persons had acquired it through local transmission. The source of infection of 27 persons is not known. There were only 678 recoveries even as the active cases reached 7,226. As many as 4,647 people are under home isolation.

Kozhikode Corporation continued to have a high number of cases of local transmission (176). Koduvally had 34 cases, Vadakara 29, Kuruvattoor 26, and Chathamangalam and Kodiyathoor 24 each.

Meanwhile, T.C. Anuradha, nodal officer, COVID-19 cluster containment management, said that 70% of the infected people in Kozhikode were asymptomatic. She was attending a meeting of functionaries of apartment residents’ associations. Dr. Anuradha claimed that some people were reluctant to appear for tests even now. Calling for creating more awareness, she said that volunteers would be engaged to work for preventive and containment measures.

239 cases in Wayanad

Wayanad district crossed the 10,000-mark in terms of the total number of COVID-19 positive cases, with the district reporting 239 new cases on Wednesday.

The total tally is 10,158. Of these, 8,734 have recovered from the disease, including 71 persons on the day, R. Renuka, District Medical Officer, said.

Of the new cases 233 persons, including a health worker, were infected through local contact and six persons came from other States.

The total number of active cases as on date was 1,199 in the district. As many as 9,485 persons are under observation.

Dr. Renuka said that the public in the district should be on alert as the day’s positive cases crossed 200 mark. The spread of the pandemic has increased in tribal hamlets too, she said.

Hence, the candidates who are engaging in house visits as part of the upcoming civic body polls should avoid direct contacts with the public, especially in tribal hamlets, Dr. Renuka said.