After posting 1000-plus cases for two days in a row, Kerala enjoyed a small reprieve on Friday with COVID recoveries outnumbering positive cases for the first time in weeks. However, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan dismissed any notions of the virus easing its grip in the state.

"We cannot let our guard down. Various parts of the state are still in critical condition with no let up in contact cases," Vijayan warned.

Kerala reported 885 new COVID cases and 968 recoveries on Friday. Of them, 724 had contracted the virus through contact. The source of 56 infection cases remain unknown.

With this, the total number of COVID cases in the state rises to 16,995.

Four COVID deaths

Four COVID deaths too were reported on Friday.

The deceased has been identified as Murukan (46, Chirayinkeezhu in Thiruvananthapuram), Khairunnisa (48 Anangoor in Kasaragod), Madhavan (67, Chittari in Kasaragod), and Mariyamma (85, Kalavoor in Alappuzha).

With this, the total number of COVID deaths in the state rises to 54.

Here's the district-wise break-up of today's cases:

Alappuzha - 44

Ernakulam - 69

Idukki - 29

Kasaragod - 106

Kannur - 18

Kozhikode - 82

Kollam - 133

Kottayam - 50

Malappuram - 58

Pathanamthitta - 29

Palakkad - 58

Thiruvananthapuram - 167

Thrissur - 33

Wayanad - 15

Of them, 64 had come from abroad while 68 had come from other states.

724 had contracted the virus through contact. Of them 156 are from Thiruvananthapuram, 123 from Kollam, 78 from Kozhikode, 60 from Ernakulam, 47 from Kottayam, 33 each from Alappuzha and Malappuram, 35 from Palakkad, 24 from Idukki, 20 from Thrissur, 13 from Pathanamthitta, three from Wayanad, and one from Kannur.

The source of 56 infection cases remain unknown.

Twenty-four healthcare workers too have contracted the virus. They include ten from Kannur, five from Thiruvananthapuram, three from Malappuram, two from Wayanad, and one each from Kollam, Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Kasaragod districts.

In addition, four fire-force employees in Thrissur and one KSC workers too have contracted the virus.

With this, the number of active cases in the state rises to 9,371.

Recoveries

968 persons were cured of the disease on Friday. With this, the total number of recoveries rises to 7,562.

Here's the district-wise break-up of today's recoveries:

Alappuzha - 49

Ernakulam - 151

Idukki - 96

Kasaragod - 68

Kannur - 108

Kozhikode - 66

Kollam - 54

Kottayam - 24

Malappuram - 24

Pathanamthitta - 81

Palakkad - 63

Thiruvananthapuram - 101

Thrissur - 12

Wayanad - 21

A total of 1,56,767 people are under observation across the state. Of them, 1,47,470 are under home or institutional quarantine and 9,297 are in hospitals.

On Friday, 1,346 people were admitted in hospitals.

So far, 6,35,272 samples have been sent for testing. In the last 24 hours, 25,160 samples were tested. The results of 9,185 tests are awaited.

In addition, as part of Sentinel Surveillance, 1,09,635 samples were collected from priority groups, such as health workers, guest workers, social contacts. Of them, 1,05,433 have returned negative.

District-wise details:

Apart from Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Kasaragod district reported more than 100 cases on Friday.

In Kollam, 133 more cases were confirmed. Of them, 123 patients contracted the virus through contact. There are four cases without source identified among those tested positive. Most of the cases have been reported from areas like Alappad, Chadayamangalam and Thalachira.

Of the 106 cases reported in Kasaragod, 76 contracted the disease through contact. Source of infection is not known in 21 cases.

Kozhikode reported 82 more cases. Only five of them are import ones. Seventy-five patients contracted the disease through contact. Source has not been traced in three cases reported from Kuttiyadi, Edachery and Thiruvalloor.

In Ernakulam, 69 people tested positive. Of them, 61 are contact cases. 

Fifty-eight more cases were confirmed in Malappuram. There are 36 contact cases among them, including three health workers. A worrying fact is that source is not identified in 25 cases.

In Palakkad also 58 cases were confirmed. They include 25 patients who tested positive in the rapid antigen tests conducted in and around Pattambi. 

Fifty more cases were confirmed in Kottayam. Of them, 42 are contact cases. Source has not been traced in five cases.

Hotspots

Thirty-eight new regions have been designated as hotspots.

They are Kuttikol (containment zone 13), Pallikkara (4, 14), Panathady (2, 5, 13, 14), Paivalike (16), Pilicode (4, 11), Pullur Periye (1, 17), Puthige (6), Vorkady (7), Thrikaripur (1, 4, 15) and Uduma (2, 6, 7, 11, 17, 18) in Kasaragod district, Kodakara (2), Pavaratty (3) and Madakkathara (6, 7, 8), Kodungallur municipality (31), Nenmanikkara (6) and Parappukkara (1,3) in Thrissur district, Puthur (3), Koduvayur(4) and Vadakkancherry municipality (10, 11, 16, 17, 20) in Palakkad district, Eruvessy (2,7), Kottiyoor (1,6), Aralam (10) and Chengalayi (1) in Kannur district, Mampad (2,3,11,12) and Cherukulam (6) in Malappuram district, Koduvally (22), Mathai (14), Kodiyathur (5), Mavoor (2,4), Kakkodi (10) and Kakkur (12) in Kozhikode district, Balaramapuram (5,7,15), Kilimanoor (12) and Peringamala (17) in Thiruvananthapuram district, Thannithodu (6) and Enadimangalam (15) in Pathanamthitta district, Pallippad (10) in Alappuzha district, and Noolpuzha (14,15,16,17) in Wayanad district.

Meanwhile, 16 regions have been excluded from the hotspots list.

They are Aranmula (ward 14), Kadapra (8, 9), Pandalam municipality (31, 32), Cherukole (2, 12, 13) and Kallooppara (12) in Pathanamthitta district, Kottathara (5), Poothadi (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 15) and Meenangadi (15,16) in Wayanad district, Poruvazhy (all wards) in Kollam district, Perayam (all wards) in Thiruvananthapuram district, Akathethara (11) and Puthuppariyaram (8) in Palakkad district, Guruvayur municipality (35) and Chowannur (1) in Thrissur district, Vathikudy (11,14) in Idukki district, and Venmani in Alappuzha district.

There are currently 453 hotspots in the state.

Important points from CM's press conference

• In the 17 COVID First-Line Treatment Centres (CFLTCs) in Thiruvananthapuram 2,103 beds have been arranged. Eighteen more CFLTCs will be set up soon, Vijayan said.

• Virus continue to remain untamed in the large clusters in Thiruvananthapuram coastal region. The spread of infection is still strong in the nearby regions of the five large community clusters of Poonthura, Pulluvila, Puthukurichi, Anchuthengu, Beemapally in Thiruvananthapuram.In Pulluvila, 42.92 per cent of those who underwent the tests found to be positive.

• Visitors have been banned from care homes in the state in wake of the rising number of cases in old age homes in Ernakulam district. First Line Treatment Centres will be setup at the care homes. 

• Sentinel Surveillance will be strengthened. Antigen tests will be increased. Geomapping of the cases will be done and measures will be taken to prevent community spreading of the disease.