The district reported a spike in caseload with 106 persons testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 on Sunday.
While 88 persons contracted the virus through contact, others include 50 inmates of Kollam District Jail, and four health workers. Among the fresh cases are 10 persons from abroad, four from other States, and two staff members of the district jail.
The health workers who tested positive have been working at Government Medical College Hospital, Kollam, and Primary Health Centre, Karavaloor. The district now has 7,732 persons under observation and the total number of samples collected is 33,061. While 557 persons completed home quarantine on Monday, the Health Department has traced 7,784 primary and 2,123 secondary contacts of the fresh cases. The number of recoveries on Sunday is 43.
Jail cases
While Kollam was the one of the five districts that reported lowest cases during the last week, the jail cluster has caused the sharp rise in numbers. Instructions were given to conduct the antigen test of contacts and 10 inmates with severe symptoms were moved to Government Medical College Hospital, Kollam, and the rest to the COVID-19 First-line Treatment Centre (FTC) at Government ITI, Chandanathope. “Other than the jail cluster, random cases are being reported from other places,” said an official.
The department has also instructed all hospitals in the district to conduct fever surveillance and collect the samples of Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) cases.
“Service of mobile medical and surveillance unit will be made available in all old age homes, destitute homes, and settlements of migrant labourers. At FTCs, there is provision for tele medicine and the patients can consult specialists online,” she said.