THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A total of 59 prisoners in Poojappura Central Prison in Thiruvananthapuram tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday. This came after antigen tests were done among 107 prisoners following the positive test of a 71-year-old remand prisoner here on Tuesday.
All those with COVID-19 will be moved to a separate block where they will be tended to by a medical team. With the prisons department now deciding to test all the prisoners here, more tests will be done on Thursday. All the 59 patients are asymptomatic.
The recent case here came to light after the patient fainted in the jail on Monday and was hospitalised soon after. Later an antigen test was done in which the patient tested positive. He has been admitted to the Govt Medical College here and is stable.
Close to 300 prison staff in the various prison establishments in Poojappura will also undergo COVID-19 tests on Thursday.