Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala's COVID-19 case count reached 26,873 on Monday, with the state reporting 962 fresh cases. The state also registered 815 recoveries in the last 24 hours.

So far, 15,278 people recovered from the disease, while 11,484 patients are still under treatment in various hospitals across the state, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan informed.

Local transmission of COVID-19 continues unabated as 801 people of the newly reported cases contracted the virus through contact. Of this, 40 people's source of infection is unknown, the chief minister said.

Apart from this, 15 healthcare workers – six from Thiruvananthapuram, three each from Ernakulam, Kannur and Kasaragod – and six KSE employees also contracted the virus. While 55 people came from abroad, 85 came from other states.

Two more deaths

The chief minister also confirmed two more deaths on Monday. The deceased were identified Cleetus, 68, of Perumpazhuthoor in Thiruvananthapuram and Sasidharan, 52, of Nooranadu in Alappuzha.

The official death toll now stands at 84.

District-wise break-up of today's positive cases:

Thiruvananthapuram – 205 (contact cases – 197)

Ernakulam – 106 (contact cases – 87)

Alappuzha – 101 (contact cases – 86)

Thrissur – 85 (contact cases – 63)

Malappuram – 85 (contact cases – 73)

Kasaragod – 66 (contact cases – 56)

Palakkad – 59 (contact cases – 31)

Kollam – 57 (contact cases – 56)

Kannur – 37 (contact cases – 23)

Pathanamthitta – 36 (contact cases –  29)

Kottayam – 35 (contact cases – 29)

Kozhikode – 33 (contact cases – 32)

Wayanad – 31 (all are contact cases)

Idukki – 26 (contact cases – 8)

District-wise break-up of recoveries:

Thiruvananthapuram – 253

Palakkad – 67

Pathanamthitta – 59

Kottayam – 55

Idukki – 54

Thrissur – 52

Alappuzha – 50

Kasaragod – 50

Kollam – 40

Ernakulam – 38

Malappuram – 38

Kozhikode – 26

Kannur – 25

Wayanad – 8

From the district

Thiruvananthapuram reported over 200 fresh cases yet again while Ernakulam and Alappuzha districts recorded over 100 cases on Monday.

Of the 106 cases reported in Ernakulam, 89 are contact cases. Of them, 10 belong to Choornikkara. Ten are from Fort Kochi also. Two health workers of private hospitals in Aluva and North Paravur are among those tested positive. A police officer and two Navy officers have also contracted the virus.

In Alappuzha, 101 cases were confirmed. Eighty-five of them are contact cases. Most of the cases were reported from areas like Neelamperoor, Pattanakkad and Kadakkarappalli.

Of the 85 cases reported in Malappuram, 73 contracted the virus through contact. Source of infection has not been traced in eight cases.

Sixty-six cases were confirmed in Kasaragod. Of them, 57 are contact cases, with source remaining unknown in five cases.

Fifty-nine cases were confirmed in Palakkad. Of them, 26 are contact cases. Source is not identified in nine cases. Such cases were reported from Karakurissy, Thenkara, Alanalloor, Kumaramputhoor, Karimba and Mannarkad.

Of the 57 cases in Kollam, 56 are contact cases. One came from abroad. Of them, 43 are inmates of Kollam district jail. So far, 54 inmates and two officers of the jail have been infected.

In Kannur, 37 cases were reported. Of them, 23 are contact cases. The patients include four health workers and a police officer. Two nurses and a pharmacist of Aster MIMS, Kannur and a staff nurse of Pariyaram medical college have tested positive.

Thirty-six cases were confirmed in Pathanamthitta. There are 29 contact cases among them. A police officer and four excise officers of Adoor are among the cases.

In Kottayam, 35 cases were reported. Twenty-seven people, including two health workers of Kottayam medical college, contracted the disease through contact. Seven people in Kumarakom, including four employees of a resort, have tested positive. Two nuns of Ettumanoor are among the patients.

Of the 33 cases in Kozhikode, 31 are contact cases. Source is not known in two cases, including a three-year-old boy in Maniyoor.

All the 31 cases in Wayanad are contact cases. There are three health workers among the patients. Five family members of a health worker in Padinjarethara have also tested positive. Seventeen more cases have been detected in connection with the Valadu cluster.

Of the 26 cases reported in Idukki, eight are contact cases. Sixteen people came from other states and two from abroad.

Testing and quarantine

In the last 24 hours, 19,343 samples have been tested, the chief minister said.

"Till date, 4,00,029 samples (including repeat, augmented and private lab samples) have been sent for testing, out of which results of 3926 are pending," a health department release said.

Apart from above, 1,27,233 samples were taken from priority groups like health care workers, persons with high social exposure, workers etc. as part of Sentinel surveillance, of which 1,254 are pending, it said.

Of the 1,45,234 people under observation for suspected infection, 1,34,455 are home/institutional quarantined and 10,779 hospitalised. As many as 1,115 people were hospitalised since Sunday.

19 new places were designated as hotspots on Monday, while 10 LSGs were excluded from the list. The state presently has 506 hotspots.

Key points from CM's press meet:

• Following the rise in contact cases, the Kerala Police has been directed to identify and mark containment zones. The police will ensure the strict adherence towards restrictions imposed in the containment zones.

• The police will also ensure that those in quarantine should stay indoors. Action will be taken against those who violate the quarantine norms.

• Police will conduct the contact tracing procedures of those who test positive. Sub Inspectors will lead special teams entrusted with this role.

• The police will give special focus to places where there is a chance for crowding, like markets, public places and weddings. Ernakulam District Police Chief Vijay Sakhare has been appointed as the state level nodal officer to give directions and advices to carry out this.

• Those in containment zone will not be allowed to venture out of the zones. Those from outside will not be allowed to go into the containment zones also.

• Measures will be taken to door deliver essential commodities in the containment zones with the help of local shop owners.

• The situation remains critical in Thiruvananthapuram where the number of large clusters are still rising. There are 13 large clusters in the district currently.

• So far, over 7 lakh people arrived in Kerala since the lockdown restrictions were eased. Of this, over 4 lakh were from other states while more than 2 lakh came from abroad. Among those who returned, over 3,000 tested positive for coronavirus.