Kochi battles contact cases, airport taxi staffer among those tested positive

Only 12 cases were confirmed in Ernakulam district on Sunday, but there are three contact cases among them. A 40-year-old woman, who lives at Nedumbassery and works at the prepaid taxi counter of the Cochin International Airport, is among those who contracted the virus through contact. Her source of infection has not been identified.

A 59-year-old Edathala native tested positive as his samples were tested as part of finding the source of infection of a Thrikkakara native, aged 51. The Thrikkakara native was among the five cases detected on Saturday without a clue of the source of infection. The Edathala native had symptoms earlier and he had come in contact with the Thrikkakara man on June 24. There are 17 people in the primary contact list of the Thrikkakara native.

A 30-year-old woman of Pallippuram also tested positive on Sunday. The authorities are trying to trace the source of her infection.

Efforts are on to trace the source of infection of the five contact cases reported on Saturday. Fifty-seven people have been included in the contact list of a Kadungalloor native and all of them quarantined. Swabs of five of them have been sent for tests.

There are 14 people in the contact list of the Paravur native. Samples of all of them have been sent for tests.

In case of the woman patient from Kadavanthra, 13 have been quarantined and their samples collected for tests. Fourteen people have been quarantined after they were found to have come in contact with a Vennala native who tested positive. Thirteen people have been included in the primary contact list of the patient from Palarivattom and they have been quarantined.

Earlier in the day, district collector S Suhas told media that the source of infection of two of the five cases have been identified, however he did not mention the particular cases.

The collector met media at Palarivattom after inspecting the safety measures at the newly designated containment zones. The containmnt zones are division number 43, 44, 46, 55 and 56 of Cochin corporation, ward number 8 of Paravur municipality, ward 8 of Kadungalluur panchayat and ward 28 of Thrikkakara municipality. Full lockdown came to effect in these areas since Saturday midnight.

The collector said there is no need of a triple lockdown in the district as of now. “There's nothing to panic, but all need to be vigilant,” he said.

He said as part of intensifying the COVID surveillance, private hospitals in the district have been instructed to conduct antigen tests for those with COVID symptoms.

Health safety auditing at airport

In the wake of a female staffer of a prepaid taxi counter testing positive, the airport authorities have decided to conduct the third phase of health safety auditing. All staff have been given awareness about the disease and the safety protocol to be followed. The woman who works at Emmanuel agency informed her higher officials about the minor symptoms she had on June 24 and she was shifted to hospital soon, according to an airport spokesperson.

The CIAL has provided PPE kits and other safety equipment to all the staff of various firms working there on contracts and sub-contracts, the spokesperson said.

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