Two persons in Kerala, who earlier did not exhibit symptoms of the Covid-19 infection, have tested positive for the coronavirus in Pathanamthitta district, NDTV reported on Tuesday. Out of the two cases, one is a 60-year-old man who recently travelled from Dubai to the district, while the other is a 19-year-old student who travelled from Delhi in March.
The 60-year-old man who tested positive was quarantined between March 19 and April 6. He had flown back from Sharjah to Thiruvananthapuram on March 19 and then travelled to Pathanamthitta by road. He was asymptomatic but was still tested as he had returned from a country with a number of Covid-19 cases.
Meanwhile, the college student, who recently travelled to Pathanamthitta, had also completed her mandatory 14-day quarantine at home. The student boarded a train from Delhi to Ernakulam on March 15 and reached her home on March 17. She was asymptomatic all this while, an unidentified official told India Today. However, she was tested for the coronavirus after Delhi emerged as an infection hotspot.
The authorities in the district have started to test people with a history of travelling to high-risk zones, or those who fall in the vulnerable category even if they may be asymptomatic, Pathanamthitta District Medical Officer AN Sheeja told NDTV.
Kerala has reported 327 cases of the coronavirus and two deaths, so far. Out of these, 58 have recovered. The number of novel coronavirus cases in the country rose to 4,789 on Tuesday evening, and the toll increased to 124, according to health ministry’s latest update.
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