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Amid soaring Covid-19 cases, Kerala mulls lockdown in worst-hit districts
On Friday, the state reported another high with 37,199 fresh cases and a test positivity rate (TPR) of 24.88 per cent.
As Covid-19 virus cases rise in Kerala, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said lockdown will be imposed in some of the worst-affected districts from next Tuesday if the situation persists. The chief minister’s comments came during a virtual press meet.
“The government is considering a lockdown in districts with high number of cases and TPR. We are closely monitoring the situation. It seems more curbs are needed,” he said, adding in the weekend also only essential services will be allowed throughout the state.
On Friday, the state reported another high with 37,199 fresh cases and a test positivity rate (TPR) of 24.88 per cent. Active caseload also crossed three lakh (3,03,733).
Vijayan said the state is not in a position to start the vaccination drive for the 18-45 age group from May 1. “The state has limitations. We are facing an acute shortage. Since we are finding it difficult to give the second shot, it is better to postpone it till we get enough stocks,” he said.
Though the state has decided to buy 10 million doses from manufacturers (7mn Covishield and 3 mn Covaxin), experts said it will take at least three months for the state to get this.
The daily caseload crossed the 4000-mark in three districts - Kozhikode 4915, Ernakulam 4642 and Thrissur 4281 cases. Except for two, in 12 districts the TPR remained above 15 per cent.
The state government has also decided to set up oxygen war rooms in every district and directed district collectors to monitor the vaccine stock and report to the state control room. The CM said the state has enough stock but logistics of distribution will have to be monitored closely.
Meanwhile, the Kerala High Court said the situation in the state was worrying and directed the government to impose strict restrictions on the counting of votes on May 2 and cut down the cost of treatment in private hospitals. The court gave this direction while hearing a plea requesting an affordable universal rate for Covid-19 treatment.
The court observed that some private hospitals were charging exorbitantly and asked the government to discuss it with private hospital managements and make it affordable. The court also cited the experience of a Covid-19 patient who was treated at a private hospital and was forced to pay through his nose. The court said the patient commented that he could defeat Covid-19, not the hospital bill.
With cases soaring, in many private laboratories, RT-PCR tests were affected. Last week, the government had slashed the price of tests from ₹1,700 to ₹500. The government took this decision after the price reduction of ICMR-approved test kits. But many labs said they will incur heavy losses if they won’t get bulk tests. Testing in many small towns was affected due to this.
The state has been reporting over 30,000 cases in the last four days. It also reported 49 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking total fatalities to 5,308. Despite mounting cases, the only solace for the state is its low death rate of the state which is below 0.4, the lowest in the country, health ministry statistics show.
