With 1,167 fresh cases, Kerala on Tuesday saw the highest one-day spike in COVID-19 cases till date. Of the new cases, 888 people have contracted the disease through contact, while the epidemiological link of 55 people hasn't been traced yet. Of the new positive cases, 33 are health workers. A total of 679 people have recovered on Tuesday. With this, the number of active cases has gone up to 10,093, while 10,728 people recovered till date.
While Thiruvanthapuram has reported 222 new cases, Kottayam reported 118 cases. The caseload of other districts is as follows: Malappuram-112, Thrissur-109, Kollam-95, Palakkad-86, Alappuzha-84, Ernakulam-70, Kozhikode-67, Pathanamthitta-63, Wayanad-53, Kannur-43 and Kasaragod-38, and Idukki-7.
The state also reported four COVID-19-related deaths, one each from Ernakulam, Kasaragod, Alappuzha and Thiruvananthapuram. With this, the total death toll has risen to 68. On Tuesday, 1,167 people were admitted to hospitals.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in his routine press meeting on Tuesday said that Thiruvananthapuram needs special mention, as there is a rampant transmission of the infection in the district. Out of the 300 employees tested of Kinfra Park in Menamkulam, 88 are positive.
“While considering the general situation of the country, one out of 12 collected samples tests positive. In Kerala, it is one out of 36 samples. But in Thiruvananthapuram, it's one out of 18 samples. Clusters were first formed in Poonthura, followed by Beemapally and Pulluvila regions. Clusters have later formed in Valiyathura, Anchuthengu, Chirayinkeezh, Kulathur, Panavur, Kadaykkavur, Kunnathukal, Perumathura and Puthurkurichi. Containment work has been done in these regions, as was done in Punthura and Pulluvila, with region-specific changes,” he said.
"It has been made more stringent as more than 30 people who attended a wedding at Chenkyad panchayat tested positive for COVID-19. In Thavinjal panchayat of Wayanad, the situation is worrisome. Eight people of a family who attended a funeral tested positive. Samples of 98 people were tested following this, of which 43 returned positive," the CM said.
He also hailed that the Alappuzha diocese's decision to conduct the funeral of people who died of COVID in the cemeteries of the parishes concerned. Alappuzha bishop Dr James Anaparambil has informed the District Collector that COVID victims would be cremated and ashes would be buried in the premises. "Likewise, in Varampatta, the Mahal Committee in Wayanad came forward to bury the body of a COVID patient who died on the way to Thalassery from Bengaluru. His body was buried at the cemetery of the Varampatta mosque."
Replying to the reports that all COVID deaths have not been covered under the government's statistics, Pinarayi said that not all deaths of COVID-19 patients can be considered as COVID deaths as the deaths are confirmed following the guidelines of International Guidance for Certification and Classification (Coding) of COVID-19.
"As per this, a death can be considered due to COVID if the infection affects the organs and hence causes the death,” he said.