Kerala reports 339 COVID-19 cases on Thursday in highest single-day spike
With COVID-19 cases continuing to spiral, Kerala on Thursday recorded the biggest single day spike of 339 infections, taking the count to 6,534, as Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan cautioned that the state was "very close" to the threat of community spread.
The state reported 133 cases through contact on Thursday.
As many as 149 people have recovered from the infection on Thursday and 2,795 people are under treatment, CM Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram.
In at least seven cases, no source of the infection has been traced yet, he said.
Pinarayi also said there are possibilities of formation of multiple clusters and COVID-19 super spread areas.
Of the fresh cases, 117 had returned from abroad and 74 from other states.
Thiruvananthapuram recorded the highest number of cases for the second consecutive day with 95 being infected on Thursday.
Of this, 88 were infected through contact from the coastal fishing stretch of Poonthura, which has emerged as a COVID-19 'super spread' area.
"We are very close to the threat of community spread. An infection at a fish market has resulted in the complete lockdown of the capital city," Pinarayi said.
The virus has reached various parts of Thiruvananthapuram district, including Aryanad which is in the eastern part of the district.
Commandos and 500 police personnel have been deployed in Poonthura to strictly enforce the lockdown there, the CM said, adding that police have distributed one lakh free masks in the area and in Aryanad also.
The situation in Kochi is also precarious and at any time the government can impose further stringent restrictions, he said.
In the last 24 hours, 12,592 samples have been tested. So far, 2,20,677 samples have been tested and results of 4,854 are awaited.
About 1,85,960 lakh people are under observation in various districts and 3,261 are in various hospitals, including 471 admitted on Thursday.
There are 151 hotspots in the state as of Thursday.