Post-Onam, Kerala sees massive surge in Covid cases

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 25: Kerala on Wednesday logged 31,445 fresh COVID-19 cases and 215 deaths, pushing the total infection count to 38,83,429 and the fatalities to 19,972 till date.
The last time the state crossed the 30,000 mark was on May 20 when it logged 30,491 cases.

The Test Positivity Rate (TPR) rose further on Wednesday and crossed the 19 per cent mark, according to a state government release.

After the Onam festivities, medical experts had predicted that the TPR would go beyond 20 per cent and that the number of infections would rise further.

Since July 27, after the Bakrid celebrations when restrictions were relaxed for a few days, Kerala has been logging more than or close to 20,000 cases on almost every day.

The release further said that as many as 20,271 people have been cured of the infection since Tuesday, taking the total recoveries to 36,92,628 and the number of active cases to 1,70,292.

In the last 24 hours, 1,65,273 samples were tested and the TPR was found to be 19.03 per cent. So far, 3,06,19,046 samples have been tested, it said.

Among districts, Ernakulam recorded the highest number with 4,048 cases, followed by Thrissur (3,865), Kozhikode (3,680), Malappuram (3,502), Palakkad (2,562), Kollam (2,479), Kottayam (2,050), Kannur (1,930) Alappuzha (1,874), Thiruvananthapuram (1,700), Idukki (1,166) Pathanamthitta (1,008) and Wayanad (962).

Of the new cases, 123 were health workers, 138 from outside the state and 29,608 infected through contact, with the source of the contact not being clear in 1,576 cases, the release said.

There are currently 4,70,860 people under surveillance in various districts. Of these, 4,44,278 are in home or institutional quarantine and 26,582 in hospitals.

Amid concerns over rising COVID-19 cases in Kerala after the Onam season, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday directed the authorities to conduct more tests in the districts which have a poor rate of vaccination.

The chief minister also directed the local self-government bodies to submit a report on vaccination in their jurisdiction.

Vijayan said the rate of breakthrough infections in Idukki, Palakkad and Kasaragod districts are more than five per cent and directed the Health Department to conduct genetic studies in these districts.

Meanwhile, Union minister V Muraleedharan on Wednesday hit out at Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan over the worsening coronavirus disease (Covid-19) situation in the state and said that the state government "clearly failed" to protect people's lives.