Doctor, 2 health staff among 11 found Covid-19 positive in Kerala

Among the 11 cases, six were reported in Idukki and five in Kottayam district. In Idukki, a doctor at the primary health centre contracted the disease after she treated a woman who tested positive later.

A doctor and two health workers were among 11 people who tested positive for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in Kerala on Sunday, said health minister K K Shailaja, adding that the state will further ramp up testing in the coming days.

Kochi: Police personnel conduct a march to enforce the Covid-19 lockdown strictly, in Kochi, Monday, April 20, 2020. (PTI)

Among the 11 cases, six were reported in Idukki and five in Kottayam district. In Idukki, a doctor at the primary health centre contracted the disease after she treated a woman who tested positive later. She got the infection from her son who came from Mysuru, said Idukki district collector H Dineshan.

In Kottayam, one of those infected is a man who came back to the country from Spain 40 days back. The World Health Organization prescribed a 14-day incubation period, which the state later increased to 28 days. Now there are reports that some are turning positive after 30-40 days.

Among 468 positive cases in the state, 342 have been discharged, leaving 126 in hospital, said the minister.

The state --- the first in India to report the virus in January --- has also decided to increase the number of tests. It has so far tested 22,954 people. Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has given instructions to the health ministry to speed up tests.

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