Kerala has logged 31,445 new coronavirus cases days after Onam, recording a massive jump of infections since the last three months. As many as 215 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, while 1,65,273 samples were tested. The last time the state crossed the 30,000-mark was on May 20 when it witnessed 30,491 cases. The state’s positivity ratio (TPR) stands at 19.3% — a jump from Tuesday’s 18.04%, which was the highest in recent weeks.
Kerala’s total death count is 19,972, while 20,271 patients have recovered. After the Onam festivities, medical experts had predicted that the TPR would go beyond 20 per cent and that the number of infections would rise further.
Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Wednesday cited Kerala’s Covid situation to sound an alarm bell for other states and advised them to take precautionary steps during the upcoming festivals between October and November.
Since July 27 after the Bakrid celebrations when restrictions were relaxed for a few days, the state has been reporting more than or close to 20,000 cases almost every day.
On the day of Onam on August 21, Kerala reported 17,106 Covid-19 cases and 83 deaths as crowding was reported in markets from various parts of the state ahead of the festival. The state’s test positivity rate at the time stood at 17.73 per cent.
Prior to the Onam festival, markets were seen full of people and violations of coronavirus protocols were reported in many incidents.
Kerala Seeing Third Wave?
The state on Wednesday recorded a whopping 40% jump in cases from Tuesday’s tally of 24,296, which is nearly 65 percent of the nationwide cases — raising a big cause of concern. What is also worrying is the fact that since the last week of July, Kerala has been seeing a steady surge in the number of daily cases, prompting the Centre to rush an expert team to take stock. The central team flagged inadequate containment measures by the state. It also flagged low seroprevalence and a significantly high population of senior citizens — all contributing to the spike.
The state has also reported cases of breakthrough infections, pinned as one of the factors behind the Covid spike last month. Breakthrough cases are Covid-19 infections in people who have been vaccinated against the virus. Most breakthrough cases have been reported from the Pathanamthitta district.
At least 14,974 people got infected with the virus after receiving the first dose and 5,042 after being administered both doses of the vaccine in Pathanamthitta, according to information shared by the district. The report submitted by the central team stated that the Covid-19 positivity rate was found to be more than 10 per cent in all the eight districts of the state and at some places, it was found to be increasing.
Surge Was Expected
The jump in the state’s Covid numbers, however, was predicted by experts, with the Indian Medical Association even saying that one extra social visit by a family for the Onam festival could accelerate the spread of the disease this year.
The central government team, which had visited Kerala, stated in its report that from August 1 to August 20, the state is likely to witness around 4.6 lakh Covid-19 cases. The unlocking of activities, approaching of the Onam festival and reopening of tourism pose challenging scenarios and it is a cause of concern, National Centre for Disease Control Director Dr Sujeet Singh, who headed the central team, had said.
BJP Trains Guns on CM Vijayan
The BJP, meanwhile, accused the Left government in the state of doing little to mitigate the health crisis and being busy in “covering it up” through motivated propaganda. Union minister and BJP leader V Muralidharan tweeted attacking Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, “Alarming COVID-19 situation in Kerala, @vijayanpinarayi has clearly failed to protect people’s lives. Kerala alone recorded 24,296 cases & 173 deaths yesterday. @vijayanpinarayi’s illogical strategy & motivated media propaganda costing dearly the nation.”
BJP spokesperson Tom Vadakkan said Kerala is in the grip of coronavirus, and the state government is busy covering it up. “Especially the newsreader turned health minister is busy reading the wrong script and spreading disinformation that everything is hunky-dory in Kerala,” he said.
The reality is that while the disease in almost all other parts of the country is under control, little effort is being made to curb it in the state, he claimed. Alleging that the state government has launched a “massive cover-up” by spreading disinformation, he said the people of Kerala are suffering.
(With PTI inputs)
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