COVID-19 cases continued to rise in Kozhikode district, with 690 persons testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 on Friday.
Officials said the total number of persons being treated stood at 4,958.
A majority of the newly infected persons contracted the disease through local contacts, and some of them are without known sources of infection. Migrant workers too are among the positive cases.
Officials said samples of 7,851 persons were sent for testing on Friday.
As many as 472 persons undergoing treatment in the district recovered on Friday. A total of 22,634 persons are under observation.
District Medical Officer V. Jayasree said symptomatic patients could remain in quarantine in their houses under the surveillance of the Health Department. The houses selected for the purpose should have vehicle, telephone and basic amenities. The patient should remain in a bath-attached room.
Rapid response teams in the ward should be informed when symptomatic patients are quarantined at homes. Elderly persons, pregnant women and bedridden patients in such houses should be relocated, and visitors should not be allowed. The family member taking care of the symptomatic patient should follow COVID-19 protocol.
In Malappuram
For the second consecutive day, Malappuram has recorded more than 700 cases of COVID-19. As many as 784 fresh cases were reported in the district on Friday, while 763 cases were reported on Thursday.
District officials said 703 of the fresh cases were found to have been infected through direct local contacts. There were 50 cases with unidentified sources of infection. District Medical Officer K. Sakeena said three health workers were among the new cases. District Collector K. Gopalakrishnan urged people to adhere to COVID-19 guidelines, and said the administration was concerned about the increase in the number of cases without an identifiable source.
The number of active cases in the district rose to 3,908 on Friday. As many as 588 people recovered from the disease.
In Palakkad
Palakkad district too saw the biggest spike ever on a single day on Friday when 419 people tested positive for the virus. District officials said 221 of them had contracted the disease through direct local contacts.
While 15 persons came from other States, six came from abroad. Officials said the source of infection could not be traced in 177 cases. The district saw 223 recoveries on Friday.
In Thrissur
Thrissur recorded 607 COVID-19 cases on Friday. According to the official release, 597 people contracted the disease through local contact. The source of infection in 11 cases is not known. A many as 3,782 people are undergoing treatment in various hospitals and 9,263 people are under observation.
In Kannur
In Kannur, a total of 419 people tested positive on Friday. Of them, 347 were infected through contact, while one had returned from abroad and 51 from other States. Twenty are health workers. As many as 217 people recovered on Friday.
In Kasaragod
In Kasaragod, 268 more people tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 on Friday. Of the infected, 257 contracted the disease through contact, seven had returned from other States and four arrived from abroad. There are 2,065 people undergoing treatment in the district.
In Wayanad
A total of 74 people tested positive in Wayanad on Friday, taking the total number of active cases to 659. Of them, 65 people were infected through contact and nine persons came back from other States. Eighty-three people recovered on Friday, and there are 3,386 people under observation.
(With inputs from Malappuram, Palakkad, Thrissur, Kannur, Kasaragod and Wayanad bureaus)
