Thiruvananthapuram, March 8 Five new positive cases of coronavirus have been reported from Kerala's Pathanamthitta district, over 100 kms from here, according to State Health Minister K.K. Shailaja.
Speaking to the media after a high level meeting with health officials on Sunday, she said a family consisting of a father, mother and son after visiting Italy had returned to Pathanamthitta and had failed to report about their visit to the virus affected country.
"They, however, did not report about their visit to Italy at the airport counter. After reaching their home in Pathanamthitta they never contacted the health authorities. Instead they visited their relatives home nearby. It was after two of their relatives developed fever and approached the district hospital that the infection was suspected. Following queries, the officials then got in touch with the Italy returned family. By then they also had developed fever. Following the tests, all the five people have turned out to be positive," said Shailaja.
All the five have now been quarantined in a hospital.
"We feel that this particular family failed to report and caused this. This particular family arrived on a Qatar Airways flight from Venice to Doha and from there reached Kochi on February 29 and took a car to their home in Pathanamthitta. So, all those who have travelled on that flight should get in touch with the health authorities," added Shailaja and said that every possible precaution has been taken and there need not be any cause for worry.
"The people at large should adhere to protocols that have been put out and all those people, who are arriving from affected countries, should report to our health authorities, if not, they are not being responsible," said the Minister.
It was on January 30th, a medical student from Thrissur studying in Wuhan, China, who became the first coronavirus positive patient in the country and soon two of her classmates also turned positive.
All three of them have now recovered.
According to the health authorities as on last evening there are 637 people under observation, of which 63 are in various hospitals, while the rest are quarantined at their homes.
( With inputs from IANS )