THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala recorded 108 new Covid cases on Saturday, taking the total number of patients under treatment in the state to more than thousand for the first time. At present, there are 1,029 active cases in the state. The state also recorded its 15th Covid death. Parappanangadi native E Hamsakkoya, 61, a former Santosh Trophy player who had returned from Mumbai on May 21, died at Government Medical College Hospital, Manjeri.
Of the new cases, 98 were returnees -- 64 from abroad and 34 from other states. Despite the returnees accounting for most of the cases, the state government did away with the mandatory seven-day institutional quarantine for those coming from abroad, subject to certain conditions. They could instead undergo the mandatory quarantine for 14 days at home. Those who are already in institutional quarantine can also avail of the new facility.
“Based on a guideline from the health ministry on May 24, a state executive meeting of the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority was convened on May 27. In that, it was decided to treat all residential facilities/ dwelling units identified and approved by district administrations or local self-government units as institutional quarantine facilities,” said a senior health department official. According to the official, though home quarantine is allowed it can’t be availed of by everyone.
It will be based on the verification by the local body concerned through the medical officer of the primary health centre that such an option could be availed. It will be ensured that there are proper facilities for room quarantine and the least chances for disease transmission.
‘Experiments will do more harm than good’
It will be ensured that there are proper facilities for room quarantine and there are least chances for disease transmission. It will also be ensured that there are no children below the age of 10, people above 65 years of age, pregnant women and other persons who are immune-compromised or with co-morbidity residing in the same facility. If any of the conditions are not met, person will have to continue institutional quarantine.
However, some officials in the health department have raised an alarm over the decision, saying the matter has not been discussed thoroughly. “The chief minister, the chairman of state-level expert committee of Covid-19 and secretary-level officers say that home quarantine is the best option. But considering the experience so far, especially with those coming from abroad, it is impractical. With cases spiking and a community spread due in the state, such experiments will do more harm than good,” said an official.
While Kollam accounted for 19 of the new cases on Saturday, the remaining are from Thrissur (16), Malappuram and Kannur (12 each), Palakkad (11), Kasaragod (10), Pathanamthitta (nine), Alappuzha and Kozhikode (four each), Thiruvananthapuram, Idukki and Ernakulam (three each) and Kottayam (two).As many as 50 patients recovered. They are from Palakkad (30), Kozhikode (seven), Ernakulam (six), Kannur (five) and Idukki and Kasaragod (one each). Six Air India crew members also recovered from the illness.
As many as 10 places were declared as hotspots on Saturday. They are Puthupariyaram, Kannadi, Vandazhy, Vadakanchery, Pookottukavu, Thenkara, Piriyari and Kollengode in Palakkad, Neendakara in Kollam and Olavanna in Kozhikode. With this the total number of hotspots in the state rose to 138.
10 Malayalis die in Gulf Adding to Kerala’s worries, 10 Malayali expats died in the Gulf on Saturday alone, in one of the highest single-day counts abroad. With this, 192 Keralites have died due to coronavirus infection in the Gulf countries. The deaths on the day include three each from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, two from Oman, and one each from UAE and Bahrain. According to reports, so far, 89 Keralites have died in the UAE, 54 in Saudi Arabia, 38 in Kuwait, four in Qatar, five in Oman and two in Bahrain due to the pandemic.