Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala's second plasma bank has been set up at the Wayanad district hospital at nearby Mananthavady, close on the heels of a similar facility being launched at Manjeri in Malappuram.

The District Medical Officer Dr R Renuka, who inaugurated the plasma bank on Sunday, said the convalescent plasma therapy has been found effective for treating the critical COVID-19 patients.

Health authorities said the donors of plasma should have tested negative for the virus twice and the donation should be within 14-120days of the final test result.

The donor should be between 14-50 years of age and be healthy with a minimum weight of 55 kgs.

Seven people who had recovered from the infection had turned up at the hospital to donate their plasma.

The state on Sunday reported its highest single-day tally of 821 cases, of which as many as 642 persons were infected through contact, with Thiruvananthapuram district accounting for 36% of total contact cases in the state so far. The capital district also has the highest patient admission in the state and its health infrastructure is struggling to cope.

Two deaths on Sunday raised the COVID-19 toll to 43. Two deaths were reported on Sunday; Nafisa (75) of Uppala in Kasaragod and Kunjuveeran (67) of Aluva in Ernakulam. The Covid death toll in the state so far is 43, including a Mahe native who died in Kannur in April.

The number of cases reported in the state so far is 12,480, of which 7,063 are active cases. On Sunday, 13 health workers were infected through contact, further raising the concern of community spread.

Thiruvananthapuram (203) had the highest number of contact cases on Sunday, followed by Ernakulam (84), Palakkad (70), Kollam (61), Kasaragod (48), Alappuzha (34), Idukki (28), Thrissur (27), Kozhikode (26), Pathanamthitta (24), Kottayam (12), Malappuram (10) and Kannur (2).