Thiruvananthapuram | The Kerala government on Saturday said that eight more people, who had come into contact with a Nipah virus infected patient in Malappuram district, tested negative for the disease.

However, the infected patient continues to be in critical condition despite being given one dose of monoclonal antibodies on Friday, state Health Minister Veena George said in a statement.

Another dose would be administered to the patient on Saturday, she said.

With eight more testing negative, the total number of persons who have been cleared of the disease has reached 25, the statement.

Meanwhile, 37 more were added to the contact list of the infected patient, bringing the total number to 94, it said.

Of these, 53 are in the high risk category with 40 of them from Malappuram, 11 from Palakkad and one each from Ernakulam and Kozhikode districts of the state, it said.

The remaining 43 are in the low risk category, the statement said.

Besides the infected person, five others are under treatment in various hospitals in the state, the minister said in the statement.

A joint outbreak investigation has been started in Malappuram district with the coordination of various departments, the statement said.

It also said that health workers visited 1,781 homes in that district during the day as part of a fever survey.