For the eleventh consecutive day, Thiruvananthapuram district has topped the number of fresh COVID cases. On Friday, 167 were declared positive and nearly 130 are from the coastal areas.

There seems to be a marginal reduction in the number of positive cases but the virus, it is now feared, has begun creeping into areas neighbouring the five major clusters, namely the Corporation wards of Poonthura and Beemapally and the three panchayats of Karumkulam, Anchuthengu and Kadinamkulam.

Kottukal panchayat, which is adjacent to Pulluvila (Karumkulam), is now emerging as the new coastal cluster. Over 80 cases have been reported in Adimalathura and Ambalathumoola, the two coastal wards in Kottukal panchayat, in the last four days. On Friday, too, 24 of the 50 tested in Adimalathura tested positive, a positivity rate of near 50 per cent.

Pozhiyoor, Mulloor and Poovar are also showing signs of a spread though not many cases have been detected except in Pozhiyoor.

COVID a jail sentence

As if the threat of spread was not enough, the widespread suspicions the coastal folk harbour about the disease, and also the isolation centres the positive cases are shifted to, are hampering containment measures along the coast.

Many of the affected coastal wards and panchayats in the district report reluctance on the part of even symptomatic patients to take the test.

"People here are under the belief that a COVID First-Line Treatment Centre (CFLTC) is a jail. This is the feedback they are getting from some of the people shifted to the CFLTC in our area," said Felix P, the president of Kadinamkulam panchayat under which falls the COVID clusters of Puthukurichy and Marianad.

A distorted and lazy understanding of COVID-19 appears to be the villain. "Many of those in the CFLTC have either no symptoms or only mild symptoms and they are, therefore, not convinced that they have some illness and they tell us that even if they have some illness they would be better off at their homes. Try telling them they are infective, they will say it is part of a conspiracy against them," Felix said.

Home remedy

50 tests were conducted in Kadinamkulam and 13 tested positive. Felix said more would have been detected had the more vulnerable residents, especially primary contacts, agreed to appear for the test.

The Anchuthengu fishing village nearby, too, faces the same problem. On Friday, like in Kadinamkulam, there was a dip in fresh cases. Only 10 tested positive when samples of 50 were collected. "People have still not realised the seriousness of the situation. Even those with fever or cough are refusing to give their samples," said Yesudasan Stephen, the Anchuthengu ward member and also the vice president of the Anchuthengu grama panchayat.

Neighbourhood hospital

Within the Corporation limits, in Beemapally East ward, the residents are refusing to take part in the COVID test for another reason. "Our people have vowed not to give their samples until the Corporation opens a CFLTC in Beemapally East," said Sajeena Teacher, the ward councillor.

"We have identified three buildings - a hall, a school and a hospital - that together can hold 350 beds but no steps have been taken till now," the councillor said. No tests, therefore, could be held in Beemapally East on Friday.

Come back woes

Though Poonthura continues to record a higher number of cases (there were 15 cases on Friday), the first large cluster along the coast is also witnessing an encouraging revival.

Nearly 200 Poonthura residents who had tested positive have recovered in the last four days. But this come back has given rise to a new puzzle. How are the recovered supposed to undergo their mandatory 14-day quarantine?

"Unlike the big houses with many rooms in the city, ours are small, two-room structures where more than two families struggle for space. How can a recovered person quarantine himself in such a situation," Poonthura councillor Peter Solomon asked. "Those testing positive have hospitals and CFLTCs but once they recover they have no place to go," he added.

The issue had been raised with the district administration. "They said they will look into it but we know they won't," Solomon said.