Kannur: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has directed the district collectors to carry out extensive COVID-19 tests in all districts. Even the asymptomatic people will be made to undergo tests, in line with the Kannur model.
All the expat returnees, including those without any symptoms, and their high-risk contacts (who directly interacted with them) were made to undergo tests in Kannur.
Among the 113 people, who tested positive for the coronavirus infection in Kannur, 80 (70.79 per cent) were asymptomatic. Fifty-five of them had returned from abroad, while the others were part of their contact list.
They all would have ventured out after the mandated 28-day quarantine period. However, when an asymptomatic person tested positive for COVID-19, the authorities were alerted of such a possibility of virus transmission.
As per this, 2,851 people, including all the expats, who returned between March 12 and March 22, and their high-risk contacts were made to undergo the tests. The disease was confirmed in 15 people after they had completed the 28 days in quarantine.
Ten people from one family were part of the 25 people who tested positive from the contact list.
The test results of 280 samples are awaited. The health department estimates that 10-15 of these are likely to test positive.
So far, only those with symptoms were made to undergo tests in the state. The government had even sought an explanation from the Kannur core committee for conducting extensive testing. However, after the test results turned positive in Kannur, it was decided to carry out tests in similar manner in other districts as well.
Three hundred samples from each district will be sent for tests. The test results are likely to be crucial for the state.
