Kerala steps up Covid-19 testing as cases increase

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the number of Covid-19 positive cases increasing in Kerala, the Health Department has decided to come out with fresh protocols.

With around 1,435 patients turning positive for the virus, Kerala has the highest number of Covid-19 cases in the country.

The directions have been given that all patients arriving with a fever at hospitals have to undergo Covid-19 tests.

Since fresh Covid cases started registering till now, eight Covid-positive patients have passed away.

Those patients coming with a fever will have to do an antigen test first, and if it is positive, they will have to take the RT-PCR test.

An advisory has been issued that those having health issues should use masks.

By-standers of those who are admitted to hospitals have to use masks, and all Covid positive cases have to be admitted to a separate ward.

Another reason why the health authorities decided to come out with fresh directions is that educational institutions in the state have opened on Monday, and a fever is raging in the state.

Meanwhile, while the fresh guidelines came out on Tuesday, in most private hospitals, all patients undergoing surgery had to come with a Covid-19 negative certificate, and this was being done as a matter of abundant caution.

Notably, the Covid-19 cases in the country have risen to 4,026 till 8 a.m. on Tuesday, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Five fresh deaths were reported in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of fatalities to 37.

On Monday, Health experts assured that there is no need to panic as the current infection wave is unlikely to cause a higher burden on hospitals.

This fresh wave has been caused by two new coronavirus variants, NB.1.8.1 and LF.7, mutations of the Omicron offspring JN.1 variant. Both were found in India, as per data from the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG), set up under the Ministry of Health.