One more COVID-19 death in Kerala; 62 new cases reported

(Eds: Adds CM's quotes)

Thiruvananthapuram, May 29 () A health worker, two cabin crew of Air India Express and two prisoners were among the 62 who tested positive in Kerala on Friday, taking the total tally of infections in the state to 1,150.

A gulf returnee succumbed to the virus, taking the total number of fatalities in the state to eight.

The 65-year-old deceased, hailing from Thiruvalla in Pathanamthitta district, was undergoing treatment at the Kottayam medical college hospital, where he succumbed to the virus early on Friday.

Theman had returned from the Gulf on May 11.

Of the infected, 33 people had come from various countries while 23 had come from other states, including Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra 10 each, Karnataka, Delhi and Punjab one each and one person was infected through contact, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters here.

Palakkad reported 14, Kannur seven, Thrissur and Pathnamthitta six each, while Malappuram and Thiruvanthapuram five each, Kasaragod and Ernakulam four each.

Ten people have been treated and discharged from hospitals.

The total active cases has touched 577 and 1.24 lakh people are under observation. The government said as many as 12,191 isolation beds were ready in state-run hospitals.

Two inmates of special sub-jails in Thiruvananthapuram and Neyyattinkara have tested positive while other prisoners of their block and the police officers are kept under observation.

The state government has also opened a centre in all the 14districts forthe prisoners.

Allaying the fears of community spread, Vijayan said the government had expected theCOVID-19 cases in the state to rise following ease in lockdown restrictions.

But, there is no cause for any worry about community spread as of now, he added.

To ascertain if there was any community transmission of the virus, the government had conducted the augmented test as part of sentinel surveillance and 3,128 samples were tested on a single day.

Four each had tested positive in sentinel surveillance and Augmented tests.

Also this week, out of the 355 positive cases, only 27 were infected due to contact, the CM said. "From May 10 to now, out of the total 644 cases, only 65 are due to contact. This is 10.09 per cent. Out of the total 557 active cases, 45 were infected through contact," he noted.

The state government has till now spent Rs 227.35 crore through Medical Service Corporation for COVID-19 management. On the government's preparedness, he said 12,191 isolation beds were ready in government hospitals.

Presently,1,080 people are admitted to isolation wards.

At least,49,702 beds, 1,369 ICUs and 1,045 ventilators are ready in1,296 government hospitals while in 866 private hospitals there are 81,904 beds, 6,059 ICU beds and 1,578 ventilators, Vijayan said.

He reassured that there was nothingto worry with the rise in positive cases as there was only one case through contact out of the 62 casestoday.

In the northern Kannur district, the rate of infection was more than the state's average and the government was planning to implement triple lockdown containment measuresas was done in Kasaragod earlier. "If the infection rate through contact in state is around 10 per cent, Kannur has 20 per cent. Out of the total 93 active cases in Kannur, 19 was through contact.

The district administration and the health department will have to implement the restrictions in a strict manner there. If the spread increases, we might have to implement triple lockdown," Vijayan said.

As per the latest medical bulletin, Palakkad has 117 positive cases, the highest, followed by Kannur with 99 cases.

Malappuram has 56 cases, while Kasaragod has 64 and the state capital 41 cases. RRT UD ROH ROH