Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala reported 5,022 new coronavirus positive cases and 7,469 recoveries on Monday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan informed in a press conference.
Of the new cases, 4,257 contracted the disease through contact. The source of infection of 647 among them is unknown. As many as 59 infected persons came from outside the state.
With 21 deaths being reported on Monday, the state's death toll has risen to 1,182.
The state has reported 3,46,881 COVID-19 cases so far, out of which 2,52,868 persons recovered. The remaining 92,731 patients are undergoing treatment.
The relatively low number of cases compared to previous days is owing to the less number of tests on Sunday. In the last 24 hours, only 36,590 samples were tested. Kerala's test positivity rate is at 13.72% currently.
As many as 59 health workers also tested positive in the state on Monday – 14 from Kozhikode, 12 from Thiruvananthapuram, eight each from Thrissur and Malappuram, six from Kasaragod, four from Ernakulam, three from Kannur, two from Kottayam, one each from Kollam and Wayanad.
With Kerala witnessing a spurt in infections recently, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Sunday said the southern state was "paying the price for gross negligence" during Onam festivities when unlocking of services along with an increase in travel for trade and tourism led to the spread of COVID-19.
Testing and quarantine
A total of 2,77,291 people are under observation in various districts. Of these, 2,53,482 are under home or institutional quarantine and 23,809 are in hospitals.
2,395 people were admitted in hospitals on Monday.
So far, 39,75,798 samples (including the augmented sample) have been sent for testing.
On Monday, six more regions have been converted into hotspots and seven have been excluded from the list taking the total number of hotspots to 636 in the state.
District-wise breakup of today's positive cases:
Malappuram- 910 (862 through contact)
Kozhikode- 772 (669)
Ernakulam- 598 (398)
Thrissur- 533 (518)
Thiruvananthapuram- 516 (357)
Kollam- 378 (373)
Alappuzha- 340 (333)
Kannur- 293 (279)
Palakkad- 271 (121)
Kottayam- 180 (155)
Kasaragod- 120 (101)
Wayanad- 51 (50)
Pathanamthitta- 32 (30)
Idukki- 28 (11)
District-wise breakup of recoveries:
Thiruvananthapuram- 1670
Kollam- 627
Pathanamthitta- 182
Alappuzha- 338
Kottayam- 200
Idukki- 53
Ernakulam- 978
Thrissur- 1261
Palakkad- 347
Malappuram- 298
Kozhikode- 1022
Wayanad- 128
Kannur- 72
Kasaragod- 293
Key points from CM's press meet:
• Kerala's COVID-19 death rate was much lower. Now with the COVID infection peaking in the state, the death rate still remain low.
• The govt has been making efforts to delay the spread of infection hitting its peak.
• In May, the COVID death rate in the state was 0.77 per cent. In June, it further came down to 0.45%, 0.40% in August, and 0.38% in September. In October, so far, the death rate is 0.28%. This was result of the constant efforts made by the health department and the public.
• Kerala reported the first COVID-19 case in India. However, we prevented the spread of virus from that patient to anyone due to the alertness we kept from the start.
• Kerala was the first state to adopt a COVID-19 protocol in India.
• Kerala was the first state to announce lockdown. We established social distancing and quarantine measures from the start.
• We had also issued measures and guidelines to prevent crowding during the Onam festival season.
• In response to Union Minister Harsh Vardhan's comments, Pinarayi said, strict containment measures were in place during the Onam season.
• Kerala became the centre of attention due to its achievements in bringing down the death rate and spread of disease. This has irked some people.
• The argument that the state issued many relaxations during Onam is untrue.
• The current surge in the spread in infection is result of some deliberate attempts made to impair the state's efforts.
• Politicians and leaders who were supposed to show a responsible behavior lead such demonstrations and set the wrong model for the public.
• Thiruvananthapuram reported a drop in new infectins. The rate of recovery is also improving in the district.
• As the Sabarimala pilgrim season commenced, the Helath Department and the DDRC has started conducting tests at Pamba and Nilakkal. On Monday, 27 tests were done among the pilgrims and staff there.