Kerala on Thursday recorded 6324 COVID-19 cases, the highest single day spike so far, of the total 54,989 samples tested in 24 hours. Of the positive cases reported, 105 are health workers. As many as 5,321 people got infected with the coronavirus through contact, while the source of infection is not known for 628 people.
The state also recorded 21 deaths taking the total toll to 594.
Kozhikode recorded the highest number with 883 cases. Of this 820 cases are through contact. Thiruvanananthapuram continues to record a high number of cases and reported 875 cases on Thursday. Kollam, where the caseload crossed 500 on Wednesday, recorded 440 cases. The number of active cases is 45,919. A total of 3168 people have recovered.
"Things are serious as cases are increasing and Thursday also saw Kozhikode registering the highest single day tally (883). Kollam district also has high numbers, so is Malappuram district," Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said.
“The situation in Thiruvananthapuram remains unchanged. There are more than 100 positive cases everyday of which the epidemiological link of the virus is not known. On Wednesday alone the infection was confirmed in 118 people who are above 60 years old and in 78 children who are below 15. The coastal areas in the district had been excluded from the containment zone since midnight on Wednesday retaining those regions with highest cases as micro containment zones,” the CM said.
The number of patients in other districts are: Malappuram-763, Ernakulam-590, Thrissur-474, Alappuzha- 453, Kollam-440, Kannur-406, Palakkad-353, Kottayam-341, Kasaragod-300, Pathanamthitta-189, Idukki-151 and Wayanad 106.
The CM, during his COVID-19 briefing, said that there has been positive response for home isolation of patients in Kannur district-“Of the active positive cases 1966 people are under home isolation while 929 patients are in various hospitals and First Line COVID -19 centres.”
Mentioning the case about the Kerala Students Union state president KM Abhijith, being booked for giving false identity for COVID-19 test, Pinarayi said that it's the responsibility of the Opposition leader too for not transmitting the virus through protests that don’t follow the protocols.
“The accusation is now about a leader who led such protests. He had taken part in events with senior leaders of the opposition too. By leading such protests he has taken out the task of transmitting the disease to the common people, his own colleagues and other leaders, this is an untoward tendency. There could be political differences. But now that it has gone to the precarious level of increasing the transmission of the disease. The Opposition should realise this,” Pinarayi said.