Covid cases dip in Ernakulam, but rampant infection among migrant workers cause for worry

KOCHI: There has been some respite from the number of Covid cases being reported daily in Ernakulam district over the past few days. The test positivity rate (TPR) has also come down. However, rampant Covid infection among the migrant labourers still remains a concern for the health department. Over the last two weeks, 331 migrant labourers have tested positive for Covid in Ernakulam.

If 58 migrant labourers — the highest —were found infected on May 12, 41 more tested positive on May 13. On Thursday, it came down to 28. According to officials, the primary reason for the increased number of cases among the migrant workers is their congested accomodation units in which they live with lack of facilities for isolation. 

“Though the district administration has provided many facilities to help the labourers staying back here, many can still be seen violating the norms. For those who do not have the facility for staying in isolation at their places of residence, arrangements have been made in First Line Treatment Centres (FLTCs). They are required to move, but still many are reluctant to do so, and stay with their friends and families,” said a health official. 

In the wake of the lockdown, many migrant labourers have decided to stay back in Ernakulam at their respective places of work. This has accelerated the Covid-19 spread, when compared to the first wave. “During the first wave also, many migrant labourers were infected. However, this time, the situation is different due to the Covid variant spread and its severity. The control room launched in the district was getting a good response initially. Earlier 100 to 150 calls used to be received from migrants, but this has now come down to 20-50 calls,” said an official with the district surveillance team. 

Meanwhile, the change in testing strategy by the state government, to conduct more antigen tests than RT-PCR tests at this point of time, may also     affect the Covid control measures. According to District Collector, S Suhas, on a daily basis, over 15000 tests are being carried out, and due to the difficulty in getting the RT-PCR test kits, antigen tests will be conducted to identify and isolate Covid cases.