Kerala recorded the highest ever spike in COVID-19 cases in a single day on Saturday when 13,835 persons were detected positive from 81,211 samples tested in the past 24 hours.
In October last, even when approaching the peak of the first wave, the daily spike in cases had been just over 11,000 cases and that too, was recorded on just one day. The test positivity rate shot through the roof to touch 17.04%, defining the rapid pace at which disease transmission is happening.
The number of deaths reported since the past one week has also seen a sharp increase, with 27 new deaths added on Saturday.
There is always a two to four weeks lag between infections and deaths, indicating that these deaths are a reflection of the infections before two weeks. This essentially means that the huge spike in the daily cases now could result in high mortality figures after two weeks or more.
The 81,211 sample results are part of the 1.35 lakh plus samples that the State had collected on Friday, as part of the two-day mass testing drive. On Saturday again, almost as many samples have been collected from all districts, the total testing target being 2.5 lakh.
With the results of these samples slated to come out in the next few days, the daily spike in cases could dramatically rise to unprecedented levels.
The cumulative case burden now stands at 12, 21,167.
The active case pool is 80,019, with two districts having over 11,000 active cases. Ernakulam district has the maximum number of active cases with 11,992 patients, while Kozhikode has 11,393 patients. The active case pool is swelling in Kannur (7,903), Malappuram (6,365) and Kottayam (6,089).
With new cases being added on daily in several thousands, the recovery rate has naturally dropped, as each patient remains infectious for a minimum of 10-12 days. On Saturday, 3,654 recoveries were reported. The cumulative recoveries is 11,35,921.
New hospital admissions rose to 1,677. Total hospital admissions at present is 10,539. Another 20,702 persons were added to the pool of people on home or institutional quarantine. A total of 2,08,003 persons are currently on home or institutional quarantine.
The State’s cumulative death toll has risen to 4,904. Thiruvananthapuram reported six deaths, Thrissur and Kannur four each, Kozhikode three, while two deaths each were reported from Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam and Kasaragod.
The number of critically ill who are currently being treated in ICUs in various hospitals rose to 769, according to official reports. The number of patients requiring ventilator assistance is 221.
Among districts, Ernakulam reported 2,187 cases, the maximum daily spike in a district. Kozhikode follows with 1,504 cases, Malappuram 1,430, Kottayam 1,154, Thrissur 1,149, Kannur 1,132, Thiruvananthapuram 909, Alappuzha 908, Palakkad 864, Pathanamthitta 664, Idukki 645, Wayanad 484, Kollam 472 and Kasaragod 333 cases.
