COVID-19 | Kerala CM calls for more effective measures for containment

‘Epidemic curve may hit the peak in coming weeks’

White Guard volunteers of the Muslim Youth League in personal protective gears offering Janaza prayers at the funeral of a COVID-19 victim at Tirunavaya on Saturday. Sakeer Hussain

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has stressed the need for more effective disease containment measures in the coming weeks so that the epidemic curve does not hit the peak too soon, resulting in more fatalities.

Addressing media persons here on Saturday, he said the test positivity rate was remaining high even when the number of tests had been increased substantially and that this was an indication that the epidemic curve would continue to rise in October-November.

He claimed the State had successfully managed to keep the epidemic extended, without hitting the peak so that the surge was below the health system capacity and the case fatality rate could be kept down.

The State's interventions in disease containment has helped create a lag in the pace of the epidemic, giving the State adequate time for preparedness, he claimed.

However, the past eight months have taken a toll on health-care workers in the State, who are very much fatigued. Though the COVID Brigade had been created for aiding the health-care workers, doctors of modern medicine who have joined the brigade is only 543. This was the time the State and society needed the service of doctors and they should come forward to join the fight against the pandemic, he said.

Mr. Vijayan again reminded people to take over the responsibility of keeping themselves protected against the disease, by following all safety precautions. Approximately 30% of those who recovered from COVID-19 were found to be having prolonged and lingering systemic effects of the disease, with 10% of the patients suffering from serious long-term after-effects. Hence, it would be dangerous to harbour the misconception that it was better to contract COVID and acquire natural immunity, he said.

In Thiruvananthapuram, women seemed to be crowding malls and supermarkets and this had resulted in more women contracting the disease.

In Malappuram, renal patients undergoing dialysis, who contract the disease, were being denied dialysis services and this would invite strict action from the government.

All private hospitals should set aside one dialysis machine exclusively for COVID patients and a dialysis patient who is SARS-CoV-2 positive may be referred to the Manjeri Medical College only in dire situations, the Chief Minister said.