Thiruvananthapuram: With COVID19 cases continuing to spiral, Kerala on Thursday recorded the biggest single day spike of 339 infections, taking the count to 6,534, as Chief MinisterPinarayi Vijayan cautioned that the state was "very close" to the threat of community spread. The state reported 133 cases through contact today. As many as 149 people have recovered from the infection on Thursday and 2,795 people are under treatment,Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters here. In at least seven cases, no source of the infection has been traced yet, he said.
Vijayan also said there are possibilitiesof formation of multiple clusters and COVID-19 super spread areas. Of the fresh cases, 117 had returned from abroad and 74 from other states. Thiruvananthapuram recorded the highest number of cases for the second consecutive day with 95 being infected today. Of this, 88 were infected through contact from the coastal fishing stretchof Poonthura, which has emerged as a COVID-19 ''super spread'' area. "We are very close to the threat of community spread.An infection at a fish market has resulted in the complete lockdown of the capital city," Vijayan said. The virus has reached various parts of Thiruvanathapuram district, including Aryanad which is in the eastern partof the district.
Commandos and 500 police personnel have been deputed in Poonthura to strictly enforce the lockdown there, the chief minister said, adding police has distributed one lakh free masks in the area and in Aryanad also. The situation in Kochi was also precarious and at any time the governmentcan impose further stringent restrictions, he said. District wise break-up of cases: Malappuram 55, Palakkad 50, Thrissur 27, Alappuzha 22, Idukki 20, Ernakulam 12, Kasaragod 11, Kollam 10, Kozhikode eight, Kottayam seven, Wayanad and Pathnamthitta seven and Kannur eight. In the last 24 hours, 12,592 samples have been tested.So far, 2,20,677 samples have been tested and results of 4,854 are awaited. About 1,85,960 lakh people are under observation in various districts and 3261 are in various hospitals, including 471 admitted today. There are 151 hotspots inthe state as of today.
|