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Kerala recorded, for a second day on trot, more than 22,000 new Covid-19 cases (22,129 on Tuesday) on a larger sample base of 1,96,902 (1,79,130), which the Health Department said is the highest ever so far, returning on Wednesday a comparably lower test positivity rate of 11.2 per cent (12.35 per cent).
The worst-hit districts of Malappuram, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Ernakulam and Palakkad saw lower numbers on Wednesday, pulling the tally down from the previous day. The State also confirmed 131deaths reported over the past several days as being due to Covid-19, taking the cumulative toll to 16,457.
Lower hospital admissions
The number of persons put under observation across the State is 4,46,211, of which 4,19,098 are undergoing quarantine either at their homes or institutions. Only 27,113 are admitted in hospitals, which public health experts reiterate are indicative of mostly mild or moderate ones being reported in.
Meanwhile, a chart put out by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on seropositivity in the general population by State put Kerala at the bottom, with 44.4 per cent, leaving more than 55 per cent of its population vulnerable. The State may have done well to control the virus spread and case fatality rate, but this has only made it a victim of its own success, public health experts said.
Dispute over death count
According to the chart, Madhya Pradesh has the highest seropositivity at 79 per cent, followed (in percentage figures) by Rajasthan (76.2); Bihar (75.9); Gujarat (75.3); Chhattisgarh (74.6); Uttarakhand (73.1); Uttar Pradesh (71); Andhra Pradesh (70.2); Karnataka (69.8); and Tamil Nadu (69.2), among others.
Meanwhile, Tuesday saw the Opposition casting grave doubts at the official death count and released the toll compiled by the Information Kerala Mission under the local self-government department at 23,486 from January 2020 and valid till Monday, against 16,170 put out by the Chief Minister’s Office.
The Information Kerala Mission has listed at least 7,316 more deaths than the Chief Minister’s Office. The Opposition had said that this came at a time when the State government had been claiming that the death certification system is transparent and works as per guidelines of the ICMR.
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