Test Positivity Rate (TPR) in Kerala held steady at 18 per cent-plus (18.41 per cent) with 30,000-plus daily new Covid cases (32,097 cases) on Thursday, indicating yet again that the State may be gravitating towards an elevated plateau (10,000 and 15,000 earlier) in the latest phase of intense transmission. Deaths reported were on the higher side at 188 (173 on Wednesday), while the number of admissions in hospitals inched up to 33,282 (32,803) after recoveries fared comparably lower at 21,634 (21,610 on Wednesday).

Active case pool grew appreciably to 2,40,186 on Thursday (from 2,29,912).

The number of samples tested were 1,74,307 at almost the same level as Wednesday, but the TPR dipped slightly to 18.41 per cent (18.76 per cent). There are 296 wards above the threshold Weekly Infection Population Ratio (WIPR) of 7 per cent, which would go under restrictions similar to Sundays.

The State government is exploring the option of on a series of recommendations made by a online meeting of experts of national and international renown on Wednesday evening, which include scrapping of night curfews and Sunday lockdowns, apart from reopening of schools.

Projections made by the Health Department have maintained the view that the intense transmission may relent in another week or latest by the middle of this month. They make the premise based on the fact that 10 days have already passed since the peak Onam and the window of maximum surge projected at twice the reduced incubation period of the Delta variant (five days) may have elapsed.

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