At a time when Kerala is battling a high number of coronavirus cases, Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan has extended support to the state by donating 20,000 N95 respirator masks, via his non-governmental organisation (NGO) Meer Foundation. On November 11, Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja teacher thanked Shah Rukh Khan’s NGO for donating masks to Kerala. In a press release on Wednesday, Shailaja teacher said, “Famous Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan's Meer Foundation donated 20,000 N95 masks for COVID-19 defence activities in Kerala. Movie stars Indrajith and Rajshree Deshpande briefed Shah Rukh Khan.”
The Health Minister also conveyed her gratitude to Meer Foundation and Shah Rukh Khan, the Minister’s office informed. Shah Rukh’s Meer Foundation, which primarily helps survivors of acid attack, is also involved in supporting states in their battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Wednesday, Kerala reported 7,007 new cases out of 64,192 samples tested for the virus. With this, the state’s total cases crossed the five lakh mark, and Kerala became the fifth state in the country with the highest number of COVID-19 cases. Out of the 5,02,719 patients in Kerala who were infected with the virus so far, 4,22,410 patients have recovered from the infection and have been discharged. The test positivity rate of the state for the last week has been a steady 10.9%.
Kerala also registered more recoveries than positive cases, with 7,252 persons getting discharged from various hospitals across the state. The number of deaths also touched 1,771 on Wednesday, with Kerala reporting 29 more deaths. Thiruvananthapuram district reported eight deaths, followed by Kottayam (six), Kollam (three), and two each in Thrissur, Malappuram, Kannur and Kasaragod districts. Kozhikode, Palakkad, Ernakulam and Alappuzha districts reported one each.
Experts have also predicted that the cases will see a dip and the state will cross its peak by December.