After a brief decline over the past few weeks, the COVID-19 positive cases from Chellanam have risen to the double digits again with 16 people from the area testing positive for the disease on Saturday.
In Chellanam, an average of about 100 RT-PCR and antigen tests were being conducted daily at two camps, said a health official in the area.
While the situation had largely been controlled over the past few weeks, a wedding function held recently has caused a spike in cases from wards 14 and 15 of the panchayat, the official said.
The first-line treatment centre (FLTC) in the area had stopped functioning after water entered the section for staff at the centre during a period of flooding earlier this month, said Mercy Josy, Chellanam panchayat president.
“If there is a major episode of sea incursion again, we would not be able to shift patients from the FLTC quickly. But if there is a further increase in cases, we would have to get the FLTC running again. The most number of cases are from wards 14, 15 and 18. A worker on a boat that went out fishing has also tested positive recently,” she said.
Thrikkakara has recorded a similar spike in cases with 17 people testing positive from the area.
They were among the 114 people in the district who tested positive on Saturday. Of the total, 111 people have acquired the infection through local contact, while three people arrived from outside the State.
From West Kochi, a total of 19 people have tested positive in Palluruthy, Mattancherry and Fort Kochi.
Three health workers have tested positive – an ASHA worker from Mattancherry, a health worker at the Karuvelipady Taluk Hospital and another health worker at a private hospital in Aluva.
A total of 98 people recovered and tested negative, and 1828 patients are being treated for the disease in the district. About 3415 samples were sent for testing, both from government facilities and private laboratories and hospitals.