COVID-19: Seven Kuwait returnee test positive in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: Fresh COVID-19 cases continued to rise in Kerala with seven people, including a returnee from Kuwait, who had arrived in the state on May 9, testing positive for the coronavirus on Monday, taking the total number of infected people to 27.

One region in Wayanad district has been categorised as a hot spot.

A day after Kasaragod district was declared COVID-19-free by the health department, four people who had come from Maharashtra were found infected with the deadly virus, state Health minister K K Shailaja said.

A 11-month old infant from Wayanad, the grandchild of a truck driver who had tested positive after returning from the Koyambedu market, a hot spot in Chennai, also tested positive for the virus.

The man’s wife, mother and the truck cleaner’s son were also infected through contact earlier.

With the Kuwait returnee testing positive, so far six people repatriated to the state in flights from the Gulf as part of the centre’s ‘Vande Mataram’ mission, have tested positive for COVID-19.

This person has been admitted to the Manjeri Medical College Hospital. A man from Palakkad, who had come from Chennai, also tested positive for the virus, a government release said.

Meanwhile, there were no negative results in Kerala on Monday and till now, 489 people have recovered.

“As of now, 1,307 people have reached the state from abroad in the repatriation flights from the gulf sector operated by the Centre.

Out of this, 650 are under home quarantine and 641 are in covid care centres. Sixteen are in isolation wards. 229 pregnant ladies have reached the state from abroad,” Shailaja said.

At least 27,986 people are under observation in Kerala and 441 are in isolation wards.

Over four lakh people from various countries, mainly from the Gulf, had registered in the NORKA portal to return to Kerala while least one lakh people from other states have also registered with the state government website.