A district-level medical expert committee on COVID-19 has proposed to ramp up the number of lab tests in Kozhikode to diagnose the infection, even as eight more persons tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 here.
The decision to increase lab tests was taken at a meeting chaired by District Medical Officer V. Jayasree on Thursday. It was also decided to conduct more antigen tests whose results could be released fast.
A release said among the newly infected patients, there is a 52-year-old from Kallayi who had been in contact with the relative of a woman from the area who tested positive for the virus on June 30. This person’s body fluid samples were collected on July 3 and is right now at the first-line treatment centre at the Lakshadweep Guest House. Five others were earlier diagnosed with the infection through contact with the woman.
Also, there are a 39-year-old man from Kallayi and a 33-year-old man from Koduvally who were tested positive for the virus during the rapid antibody test conducted at the airport. They had returned from Kuwait and Riyadh respectively on July 4. Both were under surveillance at a COVID care centre at Feroke. Now, they have been shifted to the first-line treatment centre. The other patients are from Maniyoor, Ramanattukara, Eramala, Moodadi and Nadapuram. The lone patient who recovered is from Kovoor.
