Nine more test positive, active cases down to 263 in State

4 cases in Kasaragod, 3 in Kannur, 1 each in Kollam, Malappuram

A sanitiser tunnel set up in front of the Thrissur district hospital on Tuesday.

Though the State reported nine COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, the number of active cases came down to 263 from 266 with 12 earlier cases testing negative.

Briefing media here on Tuesday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said four of these cases were people who had returned from abroad, three were primary contacts of imported cases while two were linked to the Tablighi Jamaat meeting at Nizamuddin.

Of the nine new cases, four were in Kasaragod, three in Kannur and one case each was reported at Kollam and Malappuram.

While the total number of cases reported in the Sate so far has climbed to 336, only 263 were currently under treatment in the State. Till date, 71 patients have recovered and been discharged from the hospital, while two persons had died.

The number of those under surveillance in the State has been dropping steadily as those in the currently quarantined pool have been completing their quarantine period. On Tuesday, the number of people under surveillance was 1,46,686, of whom 752 were in isolation wards in hospitals.

The Chief Minister said the State was very much concerned about the plight of Keralite nurses in various parts of the globe who were on the front line in the fight against COVID-19. On Tuesday, World Health Day (April 7), everyone should be concerned about the safety of Malayali nurses whose supreme sacrifices have been the strength of Kerala’s fight, earlier during the time of Nipah and during the present pandemic, he said.

Mr. Vijayan appealed to organisations of Malayali expatriates to intervene and help the nursing community wherever possible.