Kerala’s COVID-19 case graph did another unusual turn when on Wednesday, it recorded a steep drop in daily case burden to 6,244 cases when 50,056 samples were tested in the past 24 hours.
For the second time in the week, the number of recoveries reported on the day exceeded the new cases, as 7,792 people were discharged from hospitals. The test positivity rate, which had reached 18.16% the previous day, inexplicably plunged to 12.4% on Wednesday.
Last week also, the State’s case graph had plunged low mid-week, only to go up again the next day and this had been attributed to a statistical aberration.
The cumulative COVID-19 case burden of the State now stands at 3,10,140. The total number of recoveries till date being 2,15,149, the number of active cases in the State is 93,837. Of these patients, 715 are critical and being treated in ICUs with another 166 put on ventilator support.
1,066 deaths
With 20 more deaths that occurred in the State in the previous weeks being added to the official list of COVID-19 deaths, the State’s cumulative death toll now stands at 1,066. Malappuram and Thiruvananthapuram accounted for six deaths each, two deaths each were reported from Alappuzha, Ernakulam, and Kozhikode while Kollam and Kannur reported one death each.
Of the new cases reported on Wednesday, 6,145 cases (98.4%) are locally acquired infections, which include 364 cases wherein the source of infection is yet to be traced. This also includes infections reported in 36 health-care workers.
Among districts, Malappuram reported the maximum number of cases at 1,013, Ernakulam 793, Kozhikode 661, Thrissur 581, Thiruivananthapuram 581, Kollam 551, Alappuzha 456, Palakkad 364, Kottayam 350, Kannur 303, Kasaragod 224, Pathanamthitta 169, Idukki 114, and Wayanad 84 cases.
