Palakkad witnessed the biggest spike in COVID-19 cases on Sunday with the north-western part of the district reeling under the fear of a massive local transmission. Sixty-seven of the 81 cases detected on Sunday were from a fish market at Pattambi.
Health officials said that the fish market at Pattambi was declared a mega camp and intensive testing continued on Sunday.
The source of infection for the 67 cases reported at Pattambi market could not be identified.
The remaining 14 cases had returned from abroad and other States. The newly infected cases included a six-year-old child from Mathur.
While seven of the infected cases had returned from the UAE, one each had come back from Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Karnataka. The source of infection for a 27-year-old man at Cherpulassery and the six-year-old child from Mathur could not be identified. A 36-year-old man at Thirumittakkode got the infection through local contact.
Rapid antigen tests were conducted among 525 persons at Pattambi fish market after a worker at the market was tested positive with an unidentifiable source of infection. Sixty-seven of them tested positive, giving shudders to the health authorities.
Tight measures were adopted at Koppam town and neighbouring panchayats in Malappuram district. Moorkanad and Pulamanthol panchayats sounded warnings on Sunday. Shops in Koppam and neighbouring places will close by 6 p.m.
District Medical Officer K.P. Reeta said that antigen tests in Pattambi and neighbouring regions would continue in the coming days. Those tested positive in the antigen tests were 34 persons from Pattambi, five from Muthuthala, 11 from Ongallur, three each from Paruthur and Thirumittakkad, two each from Vallapuzha, Pattithara and Thrithala, and one each from Kulukkallur, Nagalassery, Vilayur, Tiruvegappura, and Shoranur.
Intensive tests will be conducted at Valiyangadi and Puthunagaram markets.
The total number of infected persons under treatment in the district rose to 388.
In Thrissur
Raising concern over the spread of COVID-19, 61 new cases were reported in Thrissur district on Saturday. As many as 28 persons, including five-year-old and six-year-old children, were infected through contact.
Irinjalakuda town continues to be at risk with 18 cases getting reported on Sunday alone. These include 12 migrant workers and three office workers at KSE (Kerala Solvent Extracts) and a worker at the canteen of the Taluk Hospital. Three of a family at Irinjalakuda were also included in the list.
The Taluk Hospital canteen was closed last week after a worker in the canteen from Nepal tested positive.
Two workers at Jaihind market, Thrissur, and a woman police officer at Anthikkad police station too tested positive.
With this, the total number of COVID-19 cases reported from the district so far touched 824. As many as 500 persons recovered from the disease. Currently, 306 persons are under treatment at various hospitals. In all, 13,956 persons are under observation.
In Kasaragod
Kasaragod district continues to witness spike in COVID-19 cases with 55 persons testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 on Sunday.
Among them, 45 contracted the disease through local transmission.
Those who were infected through contact were residents of Madhur, Padane, Kasaragod, Kumbala, Mogral Puthur, Pallikkare, Badiadka, Chemmanad, Ajanur, Madhur, Chengala, Meenja, Karadka, Mangalapady and Manjeswaram
A total of 5,413 persons are under observation in the district.
In Kannur
Kannur reported 13 more COVID-19 cases on Sunday. While two persons contracted the disease through local transmission, others came from abroad and other States.
A resident of Kunnothuparambu and a DSC staff from Chalakudy were infected through contact. Other patients are residents of Eramamkuttur, Chembilode, Kuthuparamba, Panoor, Muzhappilangad and Mokeri.
Police surveillance
In view of the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the district, police surveillance would be ensured during functions, said District Collector T.V. Subhash.
He said marriages should be reported in advance to the nearest police station. Only 50 persons are allowed to attend wedding.
Similarly, in the case of death, details should be reported to the nearest police station through the respective local-self government institutions or members.
A maximum of 20 persons will be allowed for posthumous ceremonies and 10 persons for other functions.
Of the 879 COVID-19 cases reported in the district, 533 have been cured.
There are now 19,064 persons under observation. Of these, 206 patients are admitted at the Anjarakandy COVID Treatment Centre and 96 patients are at Kannur Government Medical College Hospital, 42 at Thalassery General Hospital, 16 at Kannur District Hospital, nine at Kannur Army Hospital, 56 are at the COVID first-line treatment centres, two at the Kannur MIMS Hospital and 18,637 are in home quarantine.
In Malappuram
As many as 25 persons tested positive for the virus in Malappuram district on Sunday, taking the total number of infected cases currently under treatment to 582.
Ten of the new cases were found to have been infected through local contacts. They included a health worker. When 14 of the new cases had returned from abroad, one case had come back from another State.
District Collector K. Gopalakrishnan said that 1,240 persons had been infected in the district so far, and 651 of them had recovered.
Officials said that 40,930 persons were currently in quarantine in Malappuram.
In Wayanad
One more person was tested positive for the virus in Wayanad on Sunday. A 40-year-old man at Chennalode who returned from Bengaluru on July 14 is the new COVID-19 case.
He was shifted to the District Hospital at Mananthavady. Of the 269 cases reported in the district so far, 109 have been cured.
(With inputs from Kasaragod, Kannur, Thrissur, Malappuram, and Wayanad bureaus)
