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Kerala logs another surge with 18,582 new Covid-19 cases, TPR crosses 15%
Kerala also reported 102 deaths and with this the death toll has gone up to 18,601. Four districts reported more than 2000 cases-- Malappuram 2681, Thrissur 2423, Kozhikode 2368 and Ernakulam 2161 cases.
Kerala on Sunday reported 18,582 fresh Covid-19 cases with a high test positivity rate (TPR) of 15.11 per cent after 1,22, 970 samples were tested, said the state health ministry. The TPR once again crossed the 15 per cent mark after a short break.
Amid the high volume of cases there is some positive news also-- in the last five days the recovery rate surpassed fresh cases. On Sunday, 20,089 people recovered. And experts said this is a good sign and it shows slow recovery. “Kerala should be very careful during the Onam festivities. Overloaded already, another spike will land the state in a difficult situation,” warned internal medicine expert Dr N M Arun, who has been following the case trajectory closely.
Kerala also reported 102 deaths and with this the death toll has gone up to 18,601. Four districts reported more than 2000 cases-- Malappuram 2681, Thrissur 2423, Kozhikode 2368 and Ernakulam 2161 cases.
The active caseload is 1,78, 630, statistics show. The ICU occupancy in the state (both private and public) is 2011 and the number of people on ventilators is 790. Total hospitalisation of those who are with moderate or severe infections stands more or less stabilized at 28,290. Among total hospitalization daily admission is between 10 and 15 per cent. Recovery is also steady and so many hospitals are not flooded, health ministry records show.
Meanwhile the state administered around 5 lakh vaccines for the second consecutive day. So far it administered 2,39,22, 416 doses-- out of this 1,72,66,344 are first dose and 66,56,082 second doses (till Saturday). The state has launched a campaign on Saturday to cover all above 60 years with at least one doze of the vaccine.
According to the last sero survey at least 45 per cent of the population is not exposed to antibodies and susceptible to infection. Union Health Minister M Mandaviya will visit Kerala on Monday to review the situation. Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said the state’s high caseload is a serious concern for the Union government. “The state is paying the price for ignoring repeated warnings of the Union government. We have been insisting on institutional quarantine from the beginning itself. But the government opted for home quarantine but records show it flopped,” said the minister. Kerala is reporting more than 60 per cent of the daily cases of the country for almost a month.
The central team which visited the eight worst-affected districts in the first week of August also flagged the state’s over lax home quarantine system. It found serious flaws in protocols in home isolation. In districts like Malappuram and Kozhikode, the size of the family is big and those infected easily pass the virus to other members.
Home isolation calls for strict procedure like the infected person should have a separate washroom and nobody should be allowed to enter the quarantined room, but the team found that these measures were not followed. This led to increased transmission within homes and formation of small clusters. Fearing another spike the government has tightened restrictions during the ongoing Onam festivities-- mass gatherings, public meetings, community feasts and other functions have been banned.
