Two doctors, three nurses in Malappuram hospital test positive for COVID-19

Malappuram district has been put on alert after two doctors and three nursing staff members working in two private hospitals tested positive for COVID-19. Their swab samples tested positive for virus infection during the RT-PCR test as part of sentinel surveillance being conducted among health workers.

As their source of infection is yet to be identified, district administration and health officials have taken strict measures to trace the source of virus and prevent community spread. District collector K Gopalakrishnan has announced total lockdown in 47 out of the 51 wards in Ponnani municipality and four panchayats in the district.

Since the doctors and nursing staff attended to several patients including aged and children, the health department has started collecting details of patients who consulted the doctors in two hospitals. They have been asked to go into self-isolation.

The source of infection of five other cases reported from Vattamkulam panchayat in the district also remains unknown. The health department will conduct RT-PCR tests on 1500 persons in the containment zones where high number of cases were reported to check for community spread.

Samples will be collected from persons in the primary and secondary contact list of patients and from vulnerable groups like health workers, police personnel, traders, people’s representatives and other high-risk sections with high social exposure.

Meanwhile, the number of infections through local transmission is going up in the state. On Sunday, 118 new cases were reported out of which, 14 infections are through local transmission. The total number of active cases in Kerala crossed the 2000 mark on Sunday. A total of 2015 patients are currently under treatment.