Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala on Friday recorded 78 new COVID-19 cases and 32 recoveries, Kerala Health Minister K K Shailaja said in a statement.

With this, the total number of COVID-19 cases reported in the State has gone up to 2,322. The number of active cases in the State is now at 1,303, while 999 people recovered from the disease.

Meanwhile, the number of deaths due to COVID-19 in the State rose to 20, when the test result of a person, who died on Thursday, returned positive on Friday.

Usman Kutty, 71, from Irikkur in Kannur district died at the Kannur District Hospital on Thursday. He had been under home quarantine since his return from Mumbai, Maharashtra, on June 9.

District–wise breakup of today's positive cases:

Thrissur – 14

Malappuram – 14

Alappuzha – 13

Pathanamthitta – 7

Palakkad – 5

Ernakulam – 5

Kozhikode – 4

Kollam – 4

Kasaragod – 4

Kannur – 3

Kottayam – 3

Idukki – 1

Thiruvananthapuram – 1

District–wise breakup of today's recoveries:

Kollam – 7

Palakkad – 6

Idukki – 4

Ernakulam – 4 (One Thiruvananthapuram native)

Thrissur – 4

Kozhikode – 2

Kannur – 2 (One Kasaragod native)

Thiruvananthapuram – 1

Kottayam – 1

Kasaragod – 1

Most of those who tested positive are returnees from abroad (36), followed by those who came back from other states (31).

The split-up of those from other countries: UAE – 17, Kuwait – 12, Saudi Arabia – 4, Oman - 2, Maldives – 1.

The split-up of those from other states: Maharashtra – 16, Delhi – 7, Tamil Nadu – 3, Karnataka – 2, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand and Jammu & Kashmir – 1 each.

10 persons contracted the disease through contact. Seven of them are from Thrissur district, while three people are from neighbouring Malappuram. The tally includes five healthcare workers from Thrissur.

So far, 2,24,779 people have returned from abroad and other states.

Of the 2,27,402 people under observation for suspected infection, 2,25,417 are home/institutional quarantined and 1,985 people are at various hospitals. As many as 242 people were hospitalised on Friday.

Of the 1,06,850 samples sent for tests, results of 3,392 are awaited. Samples of 28,356 people among priority groups were tested as part of sentinel surveillance. Of them, 26,143 have turned negative. In the past 24 hours, 5,001 samples were sent for tests. The state has conducted a total of 1,40,457 tests so far.

There are 128 hotspots in the state. Newly designated hotspots are Vengad, and Kadannappally-Panappuzha in Kasaragod district, Vadanappally, Engandiyoor and Chavakkad municipality and Thrissur corporation in Thrissur, Thennala in Malappuram, Koruthode and Thrikkodithanam in Kottayam.

No complete lockdown in Thrissur

Thrissur and Malappuram districts reported the most number of cases on Friday with 14 each. Thrissur has 157 active cases now. The sudden spike in the district after 25 cases were reported on Thursday had triggered rumours of complete lockdown there.

However, Kerala Minister for Local Self Government A C Moideen, who chaired a high-level meeting about the situation in the district, said there was no need of complete lockdown. He said the governments stance was to adopt strict measures in containment zones.

Ruling out chances of community transmission in the district, the minister said the source of infection of only one patient – Kumaran, 87, who died at Engandiyoor, was unknown.

Fireman tests positive in Malappuram

In Malappuram, those who tested positive include a Fire and Rescue Services officer and a driver of Edappal panchayat. Of the 14 new cases, eight returned from other states and three from abroad. Three contracted the disease through contacts. A 11-month-old baby is among those tested positive.

As of today, Malappuram has most number of active cases – 190.

The Fire Force officer contracted the virus probably while sanitising the dwelling place of those who came infected from Maharashtra and Chennai. The driver also contracted the disease through contact.

Apart from Malappuram and Thrissur, Alappuzha also reported two-digit cases – 13. All those who tested positive are returnees – nine from abroad and four from other states. All of them had been quarantined. The district has 95 active cases.

On Friday, Palakkad district reported only five cases. Of them, two returned from Dubai and one each from Mumbai, Kuwait and Delhi.

The test results of district panchayat president K Santhakumari and her driver Madhusoodhanan returned negative. Both of them had been quarantined after a person who was present at a function they had attended tested positive.

82-year-old recovers

In Ernakulam, all the five new cases are returnees. In Kottayam, three more tested positive while an 82-year-old man recovered. A Dubai-returnee, the octogenarian was tested positive on June 2.

Those who tested positive in Kottayam include a Pala native who came from Saudi Arabia via Hyderabad. Though he was tested negative on May 29 in Hyderabad, he tested positive on Friday in the tests conducted while he was quarantined at a facility in Choondachery.

CM orders epidemiological probe

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has directed the health department to find out how 33 patients, whose source of infection is not known, contracted COVID-19. The chief minister made the intervention following reports of signs of community transmission in various districts.

An epidemiological investigation will be conducted to find the source of infection of these cases. As part of this, detailed contact lists of the family members of all the 33 patients will be prepared.

Most of the cases with unknown source of infection are from Wayanad (6) and Malappuram (5). Other cases are from Kasaragod (2), Kannur (4), Palakkad (4), Idukki (4), Kottayam (2), Kollam (2) and Thiruvananthapuram (4).