Kerala's COVID-19 caseload crossed the three lakh mark with the state reporting 8,764 fresh cases on Tuesday. The death toll has risen to 1,046 with 21 more fatalities. The total COVID-19 cases in the state touched 3,01,896 with the addition of the new cases, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said. A total of 48,253 samples were sent for testing in 24 hours of which 7,723 returned negative. So far, 36,76,682 samples have been sent for testing. The total recoveries have climbed to 2,07,357 while 95,407 are undergoing treatment for the infection.
Four districts reported over 1000 cases — Malappuram recorded the highest with 1,139 cases followed by Ernakulam (1,122), Kozhikode (1,113) and Thrissur (1,010). Of the positive cases, 8,039 were infected through contact, 36 had come from abroad and 85 from other states. Seventy-six health workers were among those who tested positive on Tuesday, the CM said.
As many as 2,82,000 people are under observation in various districts-- 2,54,841 in home and institutional quarantine while 27,159 are in hospitals. While 11 new areas were added in the hotspots list, 15 areas were removed from it, he added.
Meanwhile, in a trial expected to aid the containment of the disease in the state, the Kerala government has been conducting plasma therapy on 25 patients at the district hospital of Mananthavady in Wayanad. As part of the trial, 75 people from Valat village in the district have donated plasma. A total of 25 patients each have received two doses as a result, while undergoing treatment for the disease at the hospital. Valat had been designated as a COVID-19 cluster in July after a wedding function turned out to be a source of infection for many.
With PTI inputs