Kerala's high COVID-19 cases due to celebrations like weddings: Health Minister

Kerala has 567 areas with a Test Positivity Rate above 10%, a state government release said.
Kerala Health Minister Veena George
Kerala Health Minister Veena George
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The COVID-19 caseload in Kerala continues to remain high with the state recording 13,956 fresh cases on July 19, Sunday. With this, the total caseload stands at 31.60 lakh. Health Minister Veena George said that areas with Test Positivity Rate (TPR) above 10% indicated numerous clusters of infection due to celebrations like weddings. The minister told the media that areas with TPR of more than 10% were inspected during the day and it was found that there were numerous clusters of infection due to celebrations like weddings, change of residence, and other events. She said that if people want to hold celebrations, they should do so by following COVID-19 protocols and restrictions as that would be best for all.

There are 567 areas in the state with a TPR above 10%, a state government release said. In the latest 24-hour period, the number of people who have succumbed to the virus rose to 15,350 with 81 more deaths in the state, the release added, stating that as many as 13,613 people have recovered from the infection, taking the total recoveries to 30.20 lakh and the number of active cases in the state to 1.25 lakh. In the 24-hour period, 1,30,553 samples were tested and the TPR was found to be 10.69%. So far, 2.53 crore samples have been tested.

Some of the worst affected districts in the state are Malappuram with 2271 new cases, followed by Kozhikode (1666), Ernakulam (1555), Thrissur (1486), Kollam (1026) and Thiruvananthapuram (977). Of the new cases, 56 are health workers, 75 had come from outside the state and 13,214 were infected through contacts with the source of contact being unclear in 617 cases, the release said. There are currently 4.05 lakh people under surveillance in various districts of the state. Of these, 3.80 lakh are under home or institutional quarantine and 24,794 are in hospitals.

Meanwhile, the state has administered the first dose of COVID-19 vaccines to more than half of the people above 18, a release from the Health Minister said. In total, including both the first and second doses, the state has administered vaccines for 1.66 crore people. Of this, 1.20 crore people received the first dose while 46.79 lakh received the second dose. While 86.70 lakh women received the vaccine the number of men who received the vaccine is 80.16 lakh.

(With PTI inputs)

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