Despite the exemplary manner in which Kerala’s health system has managed COVID-19 transmission, containment and mitigation, the State is much vulnerable to a resurgence of the disease once lockdown ends and an influx of Keralites from across the country and abroad ensues, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said.
At his media briefing on Monday, he sought to dispel the notion amongst the public that Kerala was in a safe shore now. The days ahead would be hectic and there was no room for the slightest of complacency, he said.
Mr. Vijayan gave a wrap-up of the State’s tryst with COVID-19 so far. “The State has much to be happy about. We have the lowest COVID-19 mortality rate of 0.58% against the national average of 2.83% and the global rate of 5.75%. Among the States, we have the highest testing rate. We moved for plasma therapy first; passed the Epidemic Diseases Act; set up 38 dedicated COVID-19 hospitals in all districts. We have identified over 1.3 lakh beds, nearly 8,000 ICU beds, and 2,400-odd ventilators in both public and private sectors. We have also made arrangements to quarantine over two lakh people,” he said.
The fact that the State’s health system managed to cure eight COVID-19-positive foreign nationals, many of whom were in the vulnerable age group and had severe illnesses, was a testimony to the system’s efficiency.
On Monday, Kerala reported six new positive cases while 21 patients who were undergoing treatment entered the recovery list. All six cases are reported from Kannur, five of whom had returned from abroad while one had contracted the disease through contact with an imported case. Of the 407 COVID-19 cases so far, 114 are undergoing treatment.
Virology institute
Mr. Vijayan said the Institute of Advanced Virology (IAV) in the capital had won the membership of Global Virus Network (GVN), the first institution in the country to do so. This would enable IAV to link with GVN researchers across 29 countries for academic interactions and exchanges.
