The State recorded 2,423 fresh cases of COVID-19 19 on Thursday even as the government called for more caution and heightened surveillance against the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
Ernakulam with 455 cases, Thiruvananthapuram with 416 and Kozhikode with 266 topped the list of districts that reported new cases. As many as 58,459 samples were analysed over the last 24 hours.
Apart from the 15 deaths caused by the pandemic, the State also added 149 mortalities as per the Supreme Court guidelines, taking the death toll to 47,441.
The active caseload registered a marginal dip to 19,835 cases. According to the Health department, a total of 1,10,680 persons were under surveillance, of which 1,07,074 were under home/institutional quarantine and 3,606 were under observation in hospitals.
Of the fresh cases reported on Thursday, 27 had arrived from outside the State and 2,262 were infected through contact. As many as 1,291 cases were breakthrough infections in fully vaccinated persons and 161 had received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
Highlighting the looming threat posed by Omicron, Health Minister Veena George said the large geriatric population in the State and those with co-morbidities could lead to a spike in hospitalisations and deaths.
“Though vaccination is an important element in the fight against Omicron, the number of breakthrough infections and re-infections poses a risk. In this context, it is important to observe COVID-19 protocols strictly,” she said in a pressnote issued here.
