Kerala makes masks mandatory for elderly, pregnant women amid Covid spike

According to an official statement, Ernakulam, Thiruvananthapuram, and Kottayam districts have the highest number of Covid cases.

Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Saturday said that 1801 new Covid cases have been reported in the state in the last 24 hours. According to an official statement from the Health minister's office, Ernakulam, Thiruvananthapuram, and Kottayam districts have the highest number of Covid cases.

Health Minister George said, "Testing has been increased. Admission cases are increasing slightly. However, only 0.8 per cent of the total patients required oxygen beds and only 1.2 per cent required ICU beds".

A meeting was held to assess the Covid situation under the leadership of Health Minister Veena George.

Most of the results sent for genomic sequencing have been found to be Omicron. The health minister said that the mock drill is being conducted as per the central government's instructions.

According to the statement, Covid-19 deaths are mostly reported in people above 60 years of age and those with lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.

"85 per cent of Covid deaths have been reported in people above 60 years of age. The remaining 15 per cent have other serious illnesses. As many as five people who did not go out of the house have died of covid," added the statement.

Informing about the safety measure, it said, "If there are elderly people or people with lifestyle diseases at home, a mask is mandatory for others too."

"The mask has been made mandatory for pregnant women, the elderly and people with lifestyle diseases," it added.