The third COVID-19-related death in Kerala, of a four-month-old female baby, from Manjeri in Malappuram district, was reported on Friday morning. The infant, with congenital heart disease, and under treatment for pneumonia and respiratory problems, passed away at the Institute of Maternal and Child Health (IMCH), at the Government Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode.
Two deaths were reported in Andhra Pradesh, from Anantapur and Kurnool districts, taking the toll to 29.
In Karnataka, a total of 29 new COVID-19 cases were reported on Friday raising the total to 474.
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The COVID-19 protocol was followed when interring the baby in Kerala. Samples from the child’s parents were sent for tests. Doctors who cared for her in Malappuram were asked to be in quarantine, and work was on to trace the source of infection.
Condoling the death, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said it was a matter of concern that the source of the infant’s infection remained unknown. Massive efforts were on to trace the epidemiological links and to do testing on a large scale.
On Friday, three persons tested positive in the State while 15 were declared disease-free, including a 62-year-old at Pathanamthitta who spent 47 days in hospital after testing positive.
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All new cases were from Kasaragod and they contracted the disease through imported cases. Kerala had so far reported 450 positive cases. While 116 were in treatment, 331 recovered.
Kannur district has the maximum number of COVID-19 patients, with 56 persons in hospitals. Mr. Vijayan said as a stark warning that “nothing is over yet” on COVID-19. “We are looking at disease transmission projections which say we will have to arrange treatment facilities for several lakhs,” he said, at the media briefing.
A.P. tests more
In Andhra Pradesh, 6,306 samples tested in a day turned up 62 fresh cases, taking the tally to 955. So far, 145 patients had recovered and been discharged, while 29 succumbed to the virus and 781 were under treatment.
Nearly 67% of cases were from Kurnool, Guntur, Krishna and Chittoor districts, the majority from old clusters, said Special Chief Secretary, Health K.S. Jawahar Reddy.
Bengaluru police personnel involved in quarantine and surveillance work would undergo testing for COVID-19, Primary and Secondary Education Minister S. Suresh Kumar said.
The latest cases included five from Ramanagaram district jail and 11 from the labour colony at Hongasandra ward, in Bengaluru.
GHMC area in focus
In Telangana 13 more persons tested positive on Friday, and the total was 983. In all, 29 were discharged, a category now totalling 291 people. The State had 667 active cases under treatment.
Health Minister Eatala Rajender said the Hyderabad Municipal (GHMC) area, Vikarabad, Suryapet and Jogulamba Gadwal districts were reporting cases.