Kerala’s effective disease containment strategy got a real shot in the arm when it reported more recoveries than new COVID-19 positive cases on Wednesday.
When 75 persons tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, 90 persons left various hospitals after making full recovery. The number of active cases in the State now is 1,351.
Of the new cases, all except three are imported cases of infection. While 53 persons had come from abroad, 19 had come from other parts of the country. Three persons acquired the infection through local transmission, having come into contact with known/unknown sources of infection.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said all interventions by the State to contain COVID-19 had been effective so far as the State’s containment strategies were based on the principles of maintaining physical distancing, universal mask wearing, reverse quarantine and containing local transmission to the minimum levels.
While the situation ahead was quite serious, he expressed hope that the State can continue to implement its strategies effectively and hold the third stage disease transmission at manageable levels.
Ever since the outbreak of COVID-19, 2,697 persons have tested positive, while 1,324 persons have recovered from the disease. The number of deaths till date is 20.
In various districts, 1,25,307 persons are under surveillance and quarantine, including 1,989 persons with mild symptoms who have been isolated in hospitals.
So far, samples from 1,22,446 persons have been tested. This is apart from 33,599 samples tested in priority groups in the population as part of sentinel surveillance.
The total number of hotspots in the State on Wednesday is 110, with three new regions in Kasaragod entering the list and three regions in Malappuram and Palakkad dropping off the list.
