Coronavirus Count in Kerala rise to 22 as 3 more cases of people infected by the pandemic Covid-19 were found...

Coronavirus Count in Kerala rise to 22 as 3 more cases of people infected by the pandemic Covid-19 were found... 

Kerala Ernakulam: More coronavirus cases were confirmed in Kerala on Friday about 3 more cases, taking the Kerala state’s total toll to 22, which is the highest for any state in India, details given by the state health department.

This figures include three patient who fully recovered, for precautionary measure people who were in touch with them are still under observation.

The fresh cases include an Italian national who stayed at a Varkala resort as a tourist, a Thiruvananthapuram native who returned from United Kingdom, and another Thiruvananthapuram native who was a co-passenger in a Doha-Kochi flight where an earlier Covid-19 patient who returned from Italy came. The third person was quasi-confirmed a day ago, but final results came in on Friday, according to the state health minister K K Shailaja.

Both the Italian native and UK returnee have not interacted with many others as they has been under the state’s observation early on since their arrival, she said. The other person had been in contact with several others until his co-passenger was tested positive, the state is tracing those contacts, she said.

A total of 5468 are under observation in the state, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Friday. Out of them, 277 people are in hospitals and the rest are under home quarantine, he said.

Altogether, 69 more cases were admitted in hospitals today, he added. The state has sent 1715 samples for testing in total so far, out of them 1132 has returned as negative and the rest of the test results are awaited, he said.

“World Health Organisation says 123 countries are affected. This means we have to be more vigilant. Control measures are going strong, local bodies are at the taking good initiatives in this,” he said.

“Home stays, hotels, resorts in the tourism sector are searched thoroughly. Suspected Covid 19 patients are shifted to hospitals. We have also ensured the help of private hospitals. People coming from affected countries are also searched for suspected patients,” Vijayan added.

“Today’s review meeting is has decided to mandatorily screen people coming from some countries. The meeting also decided to screen everybody coming through airports, and airport authorities who were present in the meeting agreed to this,” he added.

In the background of the first Covid-19 related death in Karnataka’s Kalburgi, Malayalee students in educational institutions over there are returning to the state, he said.