At least 11 of the top 20 districts in India reporting the highest COVID-19 cases currently are from Kerala, according to a report by NDTV, which quoted Health Ministry sources. The state has been continuously reporting a high number of cases. On Monday, January 25, Kerala reported 3361 new COVID-19 cases. The report stated that apart from the state capital of Thiruvananthapuram, the districts of Ernakulam, Alleppey, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta have been reporting a high number of infections.
As per the COVID-19 dashboard, the test positivity rate of Kerala was 10.88%. Over the last seven days, the state's TPR is at 11.02%, which is among the highest in the country. Compared to this, India's national average is at 1.9%. According to sources in the Health Ministry, the state has not been testing or contact tracing enough, and this could be the reason for the increase in COVID-19 cases.
On January 24, Kerala accounted for 45% of the total confirmed cases reported in India, as it reported 6036 new cases. The state also recorded the second-highest number of deaths on the same day, after reporting 20 fatalities due to COVID-19.
With 70,624 active cases, Kerala tops the list of states with the highest number of cases, accounting for over 39% of India's total active cases. Maharashtra comes second with 38,000 active cases.
However, officials in the state government say that the situation is not unexpected. Occupancy for ventilators in the state is at 15% while the Intensive Care Unit admission rate is at 49%.