In what may hint at a high rate of Covid-19 transmission in the state following Onam, Kerala on Wednesday reported 31,445 fresh Covid-19, with the test positivity rate (TPR) touching 19 per cent now. This is the first time that the state has reported more than 30,000 fresh cases since May 20 this year, when the second wave was raging.
On Wednesday, seven of the 14 districts — Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Palakkad, Kollam, and Kottayam — reported upwards of 2000 cases each. While Ernakulam reported the highest number of fresh infections (more than 4000 cases), Thrissur, Kozhikode, and Malappuram reported more than 3000 cases each.
For the past several weeks, Kerala has been contributing more than half of the daily cases to the national caseload with the seven-day average TPR being at 17.13 percent. Though its case fatality rate stood at 0.5 percent, the increase in cases despite lockdowns and restrictions has been alarming.
A six-member team deputed by the Centre to look into the high number of infections in Kerala had earlier reported lapses in home isolation protocols, contact-tracing measures and a low number of RT-PCR tests.
State Health Minister Veena George said on Wednesday that the state government plans to embark on a programme to test maximum number of people with the aim of isolating them as quickly as possible and prevent the virus from getting transmitted from them to others. She said the state follows the scientific testing principle of test per million by case per million. As cases increases, testing will be ramped up too.
“Testing will be increased in districts with low vaccination. After identifying high-infection areas and clusters, maximum number of people there will be subjected to testing. Sample collection will be done in clusters directly and through special camps. Action has been taken to process test results quickly,” she said in a statement.
