COVID-19 | Expert committee to guide State on evolving situation

No new cases in Kerala, but woman in Mahe who returned after Umrah in Mecca tests positive

The government has decided to set up an expert committee, including public health professionals and scientists, to guide it on the evolving situation involving COVID-19. It intends to create a repository of all scientific studies and research happening all over the world on the new disease.

Briefing media here on Tuesday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said it had been decided to set up an interactive web portal to disseminate all current information and scientific facts on the COVID-19 situation to the public and health-care professionals.

The State did not report any new positive COVID 19 cases on Tuesday. However, a whopping 5,372 persons have been added to the surveillance network, including 65 new hospital admissions. As on Tuesday, the State has 18,011 persons under surveillance, of whom, 17,743 are on home quarantine and 268, in isolation in hospitals.

The Union Territory of Puducherry reported its first case of COVID-19 with a 68-year-old woman in the enclave of Mahe testing positive for the virus. The patient had been under observation at the Government General Hospital in Mahe since her return from Umrah in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

Awareness drive

The government is planning to utilise the services of medical students to create large-scale awareness in the community on COVID-19. The Kerala University of Health Sciences will coordinate this initiative. A digital consultation service for the public on all aspects of the disease would be started with the help of the Indian Medical Association. Mr. Vijayan requested the entire medical fraternity to lend support to the government in assuaging the fear and anxiety over COVID-19 among the public.

He said the network of pain and palliative care services would be utilised to give special attention to the geriatric population as the disease resulted in high mortality amongst the elderly.

Mr. Vijayan said the government intended to set up more COVID 19 testing facilities across districts. Though there have been serious lapses in surveillance over the past few days, the level of alertness and vigil should be high as the virus is highly transmissible, he said.

Uninterrupted power supply would be ensured so that IT professionals who are working from home do not face work disruptions.

There is no reason why foreign tourists in Kerala who do not have the disease should not return to their home country and the government will enable their safe return.