On day of mixed emotions 3 cases added, 15 test negative

TNN | Apr 25, 2020, 04:36 IST

Relatives of the infant who died of Covid-19 wait outside Kozhikode Medical College Hospital for swab collection on Friday

Relatives of the infant who died of Covid-19 wait outside Kozhikode Medical College Hospital for swab collecti...Read More

Thiruvananthapuram: Friday proved to be a bittersweet day for a state in the throes of the novel coronavirus outbreak as a four-month-old baby died at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital and a 62-year-old woman was discharged after 48 days of hospitalization in Pathanamthitta.
Only three new positive cases were reported and all of them in Kasaragod. However, 15 patients tested negative; five in Kasaragod, three each in Pathanamthitta, Malappuram and Kannur, and one in Kollam.
To date, 450 cases have been reported in the state, of which 116 are admitted to various hospitals. Of the 21,725 persons under surveillance, 21,243 are in home isolation and 482 are admitted in designated isolation facilities. Of the 21,941 samples tested in the state so far 20,830 have returned negative.
Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, at his press briefing, said at present there are no active cases in Alappuzha and Thrissur. However, these two districts will continue in the orange zone. Moreover, positive cases were reported in Kottayam and Idukki after the two districts were classified as green zones. Hence it has been decided that no districts will be accorded green-zone status. The restrictions will continue till May 3.
At present, Kannur has the more number of active cases, with 56, followed by Kasaragod (17) and Kozhikode (14). The health department has decided to enforce strict lockdown rules in these three districts and Malappuram, which has just two cases.
The CM said there have been some reports of dialysis patients and those who have undergone organ transplants finding it hard to get hold of life-saving drugs. All emergency medicines, including insulin, will be made available in all Karunya pharmacies and Neethi medical stores. Local bodies have also been asked to ensure the supply of drugs through these stores.
Nearly 560 people from Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu depend on follow-up treatment at Regional Cancer Centre in Thiruvananthapuram. Keeping this in mind, RCC, with the support of the two state governments, has converted the district hospital in Kanyakumari into a cancer care centre, Vijayan said.
The CM said he has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking urgent intervention in bringing back the mortal remains of people who lost lives in Gulf countries. He urged the PM to issue specific directives to the embassies in the countries to clear hurdles in bringing back the bodies.
Vijayan said necessary relaxations for automobile workshops, electric and mobile shops are being considered. Of these, auto workshops are allowed to open for two separate days a week and the others on Sunday. However, there have been demands that workshops be allowed to open for two consecutive days.