COVID-19: Kerala reports 14 fresh cases; tally rises to 601

PTI, May 17, 2020, 7:25 PM IST

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala on Sunday reported 14 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the total number of infections in the state to 601.

State Health Minister K K Shailaja said four from Malappuram, two each from Palakkad, Kozhikode and Kannur, one each from Kollam, Ernakulam Thrissur and Kasaragod districts had contracted the infection.

“Two of them reached the state from abroad, ten from other states including seven from Tamil Nadu and three from Maharashtra. One person in Ernakulam district is an Uttar Pradesh native who came from Male. The patient from Kollam is a health worker,” the Minister said in a release.

There were no discharges in the state today and the number of those cured remained at 497.

“As of now, there are 101 patients under treatment for coronavirus infection in the state,” she said.

The minister also said till now, 3,467 people had reached the state by flights, 1,033 through ports, 55,086 though check-posts and 1,026 by trains.

“A total of 60,612 people have reached Kerala through variousmodes of transport. As of now, 62,529 people are under observation in the state and 674 are in isolation wards of various hospitals,” she added.

So far, 45,027 samples have been sent for testing.

The state government categorised Panamaram region in Wayand district as a hotspot, after the total cases went up to 23.

Meanwhile, the government informed that 4,617 rooms in 169 hotels have been arranged for the purpose of paid quarantine across the state.

As per the latest medical bulletin, Malappuram has 21 positive cases, which is the highest in the state followed by Wayanad with 17 cases.

Kasaragod has 14 cases while Palakkad and Kozhikode has 12 and 11 cases respectively.

Meanwhile, a 20-member team of ICMR has initiated its study to ascertain whether community spread has begun in Kerala.

The ICMR will collect random samples of at least 1,200 people from Palakkad, Ernakulam and Thrissur districts and conduct the anti-bodytest.