Two cases in Kottayam

Kottayam on Monday reported two fresh COVID-19 cases with two persons who had returned from the UAE testing positive for the virus, taking the total number of patients in the district to 11.

Health Department officials identified the latest patients as a 37-old man from Irumboozhikkara in Vaikom, and a 30-year-old native of Nalukodi near Payipad, who returned from Abu Dhabi and Dubai on May 11 and May 17 respectively.

The Vaikom native had been undergoing institutional quarantine in a COVID isolation centre at Gandhinagar and his quarantine period was to end on Monday. Three of his co-passengers had been earlier tested positive for virus infection

The Payipad native, on the other hand, was under home isolation as he had returned along with a family comprising an elderly couple and a child below the age of 10 years.

The new patients were shifted to Government Medical College Hospital, Kottayam by Monday evening. Health officials are looking to subject maximum number of overseas returnees to COVID tests.