Kerala's daily COVID-19 count crosses 10,000; Tally breaches 2.5 lakh mark

The toll climbed to 906with 22 more fatalities, the state government said. In the last 24 hours, a total of 73,816 samples were sent for testing and 10,606 positive cases detected, including 98 health workers, Health Minister K K Shailaja said in a release here.

In the highest single-day surge of COVID-19, Kerala's fresh infections crossed the grim mark of 10,000 on Wednesday, taking the total infecion count to 2,51,405. The toll climbed to 906with 22 more fatalities, the state government said.

In the last 24 hours, a total of 73,816 samples were sent for testing and 10,606 positive cases detected, including 98 health workers, Health Minister K K Shailaja said in a release here. Kerala Power Minister M M Mani too tested positive for the virus on Wednesday and the 75-year old leader has been admitted to the government medical college hospital here.

Four districts reported over 1,000 cases-- Kozhikode (1,576), Malappuram (1,350), Ernakulam (1,201) and Thiruvananthapuram (1,182) while five other districts logged more than 500 cases. With samples of 6,161 people returning negative, the total recoveries so far touched 1,60,253, leaving 92,161 active cases in the state, which has been witnessing a severe spread of the virus in the past few weeks.

The state, which crossed the grim milestone of two lakh cases on October 1, added 50,000 cases in the last six days, reflecting the sharp spike. Two people in their 90s and as many in their 80s were among the 22 who lost the battle to the infection.

Among those who tested positive on Wednesday, a total of 9,542 were infected through contact, as many as 55 had come from abroad and 164 from other states, Shailaja said. At least 2,67,834 people are under observation in various districts with 29,503 of them in hospitals.

So far 33,40,242 samples have been sent for testing. The release also said 81 cases were registered and 321 people arrested for violating prohibitory orders in force.

Cases were registered against 2,129 people, 1,032 arrested and 49 vehicles seized for violating COVID-19 protocols, it said. As many as 6,854 people were found not wearing masks.

Kerala had reported the country's first positive case on January 30, a medical student from Wuhan in China, which was the epicentre of the pandemic that spread across the globe. The second and third cases were also Wuhan returnees and from Kerala and all recovered later while the state was able to control the spread of the virus in the initial phases, winning accolades from various quarters.

However, with the steady increase in cases, the government last week clamped prohibitory orders, banning assembly of more than five people at any place, including banks, shops and commercial establishments. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had on Tuesday urged people to be extremely careful as the virus was spreading fast due to contact.

The cases were increasing on a daily basis due to carelessness by the public and the government was expediting the process of identifying and isolating possible patients in all districts as much as possible, Vijayan had said..