State reports 720 new cases and one death

Thiruvananthapuram: Compared to the past two days, there was a slight decrease in the

total number of new cases

reported in the state on Tuesday. As many as 720 cases were reported with Thiruvananthapuram topping the chart with 151 cases. One death was reported in the capital, taking the total death toll to 45.

Of the new cases, 528 are contact cases among which source of contact is unknown in 34; 82 are those who arrived from abroad and 54 from other states. And 17 healthcare workers, 29 DSC jawans, four ITBP personnel, four KSE employees and a KLF employee were also infected. The deceased is Victoria (72) from Pulluvila. At present, 8,056 cases are being treated. Test results of 274 patients were declared negative.

CM Pinarayi Vijayan said the system of admitting all persons who test positive, even if they are asymptomatic, will continue as number of cases are manageable and a chain of first-line treatment centres are being set up. Several private hospitals have also started treating patients, he added. "As per statistics till Sunday, 20,404 beds have been readied in 187 Covid FLTCs. By Thursday, there will be 742 CFLTCs with 69,215 beds," he said.

"All FLTCs will have OP facility from morning to evening and telemedicine facilities. There will be proper arrangements for providing uninterrupted water and power to centres along with food for all patients," he said.

Dismissing allegations that there were flaws in Kerala’s strategies to contain

Covid-19

, Vijayan said the low mortality rate in a society like Kerala where population density is high and elderly population is significant indicates that strategies adopted by state were successful.

"While case fatality rate in Kerala is only 0.33, the corresponding figure for Delhi is 3, Gujarat is 4.4 Tamil Nadu is 1.5, Maharashtra is 3.8 and Karnataka 2.1," he said.

The details of those infected through contact are 144 in Thiruvananthapuram, 79 in Kollam, 72 in Ernakulam, 36 each from Palakkad and Kasaragod, 35 in Kottayam, 33 from Kozhikode, 30 in Alappuzha, 29 in Malappuram, 21 in Pathanamthitta, six in Wayanad district, five in Kannur and two in Thrissur. The infected healthcare workers are five in Kannur, three each from Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam, two in Kollam and one each in Thrissur, Kozhikode, Wayanad and Kasaragod.

District-wise distribution of new cases is as follows: Kollam (85), Ernakulam (80), Malappuram (61), Kannur (57), Alappuzha and Palakkad (46 each), Pathanamthitta and Kasaragod (40 each), Kottayam and Kozhikode (39 each), Thrissur (19) and Wayanad (17).

As many as 1,62,444 persons were placed under surveillance, of which 1,54,167 are under home/institutional quarantine and 8,277 are admitted in designated isolation facilities.