The COVID-19 graph in the State continues to rise steadily and has for the fifth consecutive day on Saturday, reported over a thousand fresh cases.
On Saturday, Kerala reported 1,544 new cases of COVID-19, when 13,558 samples were tested in the last 24 hours. The test positivity rate (TPR) went above 10% after 101 days and now stands at 11.39%, a rise by 1.52% from that of the previous day.
The active cases on Saturday was 7,972, with the maximum cases being reported from Ernakulam, Thiruvananthapuram and Kottayam. According to the Centre, the graph is rising in 11 districts in the State.
Four new COVID deaths were reported on the day.
Even though hospitalisations due to COVID has come down drastically, it should be noted that at least 2-6 deaths due to COVID were being reported daily in the State since March-April, after the third wave subsided. This essentially means that COVID continues to contribute to significant mortality even when the case graph is only beginning to rise.
The Health department maintains that those who are dying due to COVID are those who are unvaccinated or those with serious co-morbidities.
Approximately, 12% of those above 18 years in the State – that constitutes about 30 lakh adults – are yet to complete the primary vaccination and have not received the second dose. In the current scenario, when the graph is on the rise, this could eventually lead to increased hospitalisation.
As on June 4, total persons hospitalised is 212. New admissions on Saturday was 60
For the first time since October 2021 when the State began to add COVID deaths which went “missing” from the initial official statistics (following the Supreme Court directive and the new ICMR definition on what constitutes a COVID death), there were no backlog deaths on Saturday.
Health officials said that according to a Government of India directive, all backlog of COVID death appeals till March 20 had to be examined and decided within 60 days. This process had been completed now, they said
Schools have just reopened and even though COVID protocols are in place, the impact will be evident in anther week.
