The exponential increase in State’s COVID-19 case graph continued on Sunday with 4,696 new cases, even when the samples tested in the last 24 hours dropped to 41,630, a dip by more than 5,000 when compared to the past two days.
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The test positivity rate (percentage of people who test positive amongst all tested) thus went up to 11.2 in comparison to the previous day’s figure of 9.7, indicating an increase in disease transmission.
The number of recoveries reported on the day is 2,751.
The cumulative case burden now stands at 1,35,721. With a total of 95,698 persons having recovered from their disease, the number of patients currently being treated is 39, 415.
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Of the active cases, 329 persons are critically ill and being treated in ICUs with 84 on ventilator support
The State’s death toll is also on a steady rise with another 16 deaths added to the official list (provisional) by the Health Department. The official toll is 535 now. These 16 deaths had occurred between August 28 and September 17. Five of the deaths were reported from Kottayam, three from Malappuram, two each from Thrissur and Thiruvananthapuram and one each from Kasaragod, Kollam, Ernakulam and Palakkad.
Of the new cases, 96% — 4,515 out of the new 4,696 cases — are locally acquired infections, with the source of infection remaining unknown in 459 cases. This includes infections reported in 80 health-care workers, 29 of these being in Thiruvananthapuram.
Thiruvananthapuram continues to be much ahead of all other districts when it comes to new cases as well as the total case burden. On Sunday, 892 new cases were registered in the district.
Ernakulam reported 537 cases, Kozhikode 536, Malappuram 483, Kollam 330, Thrissur 322, Palakkad 289, Kottayam 274, Kannur 242, Alappuzha 219, Kasaragod 208, Pathanamthitta 190, Wayanad 97 and Idukki 77.
The number of hotspots in the State now is 638.