As the State recorded the highest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases on Saturday, Kozhikode district, with 110 new cases, came second on the list of most number of cases, after Thiruvananthapuram.

Eighty-eight people contracted the disease through local transmission. Eight persons had come from abroad and nine from other States. There are five cases in which the source of infection has not yet been identified. These cases were reported from Kozhikode city, Kayakkodi, Moodadi, Edacheri and Vadakara. At present, 558 people are under treatment at various first-line treatment centres and the Government Medical College Hospital in the district.

Meanwhile, 128 squads have been formed to ensure that the COVID-19 protocol is being followed. The village-level squads will be monitored by the tahsildars and headed by village officers or special village officers. It will also consist of representatives from the Police and Health departments and local bodies. The squads have been entrusted to take action against those violating norms.Seventeen quick response teams have also been formed in the most vulnerable areasin the district.

In Malappuram

As many as 185 infected persons recovered from COVID-19 even as 68 new cases were detected in the district on Saturday.

Thirty-eight of the new patients, including a health worker, were found to have contracted the disease through local transmission. However, the source of infection could not be identified for 16 people. Twenty-two patients had come from abroad, while eight had returned from other States.

District health officials said that it was the first time that such a large number of infected persons had recovered on a single day. District Collector K. Gopalakrishnan and District Medical Officer K. Sakeena said the high recovery number was a positive sign for the district.

While 1,630 people have been infected since March, 1,030 have recovered. The district has 592 patients under treatment at present.

In Kannur

In Kannur, 62 people tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 on Saturday.

District Collector T.V. Subhash said of the patients, eight came from abroad, 29 from other States and 22 contracted the disease through contact with patients. Among the infected are two DSC employees and one health worker too. Meanwhile, 34 who were undergoing COVID-19 treatment at various hospitals have been discharged.

The total number of COVID-19 cases recorded in the district rose to 1,158, while 687 patients have recovered.

There are currently 12,788 people under observation.

In Thrissur

Thirty-six new cases were recorded in the district on Saturday. Of the patients, 27 were infected through contact. The total number of cases recorded in the district reached 1,093, while 660 patients have recovered.

While 12 people were infected from the Kerala Solvent Extractions (KSE) cluster, two were infected from the KLF Industries cluster. One person was infected from the Border Security Force (BSF) cluster and five from the Pattambi cluster. The source of infection of five patients has not yet been traced.

As many as 411 people are undergoing treatment at various hospitals in the district. A total of 13,388 people are under observation.

(With inputs from Malappuram, Kannur and Thrissur bureaus)