Kerala logs another Covid-19 surge with 6753 new infections, TPR rises to 11.63%

Kerala recorded yet another spike in Covid-19 cases on Friday with 6,753 new infections and the test positivity rate also soaring to 11.63%, almost triple the national average. Apart from the surging numbers, a worrying point is that another returnee from the United Kingdom (UK) has been detected with the genetically-modified strain.

Now almost half of the active cases in the country are being reported from the state which was once lauded for its virus control measures. According to the state health ministry, the active case load in the state is 70,395-- out of 8,77,282 total cases 8,03, 094 have recovered. With 17 deaths, the death toll has also gone up to 3564. But many health experts have questioned the toll saying many deaths failed to find place in the official list.

A person who had returned from the UK two weeks back in north Kerala’s Kannur has been detected with the modified strain of the virus. With this, the total number of modified virus cases has gone up to 10 in the state. In daily positive cases, Ernakulam district topped with 1018 infections, health ministry data shows. In view of rising cases many health experts have asked the state to scale up its testing and give more emphasis to RT-PCR tests. They say more than half of the tests are still antigen which is not dependable. Latest statistics show in recovery and test rates also the state is lagging when compared to other states.

The rising case graph has triggered a blame game in the state-- health minister K K Shailaja said the opposition failed to do anything feasible to control the pandemic and its activists carried out a series of agitations across the state vitiating the fluid situation. But the opposition said the minister was getting angry because she was getting “bad publicity” these days due to a hike in Covid-19 cases.

The first state to report a Covid-19 case in the country in January last year, a China –returned medical student, Kerala was on the verge of flattening the curve in May but cases surged when restrictions were removed in May-June. But still the state managed its numbers well but cases started increasing in September after Onam festivities. The situation aggravated further after the local body elections in December.