Goa's COVID-19 cases grow by nine to 22

The tally of COVID-19 patients in

Goa reached 22 after nine such cases were reported on Sunday, a health department official said.

Six of the total number of patients are passengers of the Delhi-Thiruvananthapuram Express train, who tested positive in the last 24 hours, the official said.

"All the 22 patients have been admitted to a specially-designated COVID-19 hospital in Margao town," he said.

On May 1, Goa had been declared as green zone after all the seven COVID-19 patients previously found in the state recovered. However, the coastal state has witnessed a spurt in the number of cases over the last few days.

 

However, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has claimed that there is no community transmission in the state.

As per the data available, six passengers from the Rajdhani Express train that arrived on Saturday have tested positive during last 24 hours.

Three workers, who were brought to Goa from neighbouring states as a part of resumption of industrial units, have also tested positive, the official said.

During the day, the state tested 997 samples that were drawn on Sunday. Of them 527 tested negative, while nine were found positive, the official said.

"However, results of 456 others, including the train passengers who arrived on Sunday from Delhi, are still awaited," the official said.

The state government swung into action after passengers of the Rajadhani Express, which arrived on Saturday, tested positive.

State Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said the co- passengers, who travelled with the positive patients, have been taken to institutional quarantine of 14 days.

The state has moved to strengthen its testing facilities by installing additional rapid testing (TrueNat) machines at its district hospitals in Margao, Mapusa and sub district hospital in Ponda.