Mega COVID-19 testing camps will be held across Kozhikode district on Thursday and Friday even as 2,022 fresh cases were reported here with a daily test positivity rate (TPR) of 15.41%.
Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran, who held a review meeting here on Wednesday, said detecting and isolating suspected patients was the only way to stop community spread and reduce TPR. Only then the ongoing category-wise restrictions could be lifted. The Minister urged symptomatic people, those who have an infected person at home, people who interact with a cross-section of society such as traders, and those who had visited hospitals for treatment or health check-ups to mandatorily present themselves at the testing camps.
These events are held at primary health centres, community health centres, family health centres, taluk hospitals, and the district hospital. Symptomatic people and those who have infected persons will have to undergo RT-PCR tests, and others may go for antigen tests.
District Medical Officer V. Jayasree said 10,000 RT-PCR tests and 20,000 antigen tests would be held every day. Mobile medical units too have been kept ready. The tests will begin at 9 a.m. In the Kozhikode Corporation, the centres are JDT Complex, Vellimadukunnu, S.K. Hall, Puthiyara, Tagore Centenary Hall, Samudra Auditorium, and the health centres at Elathur, Cheruvannur, Nallalam, and Beypore. Others are the health centres at Ramanattukara, Feroke, and Koyilandy, a release said.
Meanwhile, the DMO said 1,984 people got the infection through local transmission, while the source of 32 others was not known. As many as 13,370 samples were tested. Kozhikode Corporation accounted for 372 locally acquired infections, Olavanna 87, Narikkuni, and Vadakara 56 each, Puthuppady 49, Koyilandy 46, and Thalakkulathur 42. As many as 1,080 people recovered from the infection, and the active caseload from the district rose to 16,382.
