The Kerala government has stopped supplying oxygen to neigbouring States after its emergency reserves depleted on Monday. The situation was further compounded by the probability that its maximum oxygen capacity could be severely tested next week when hospital admissions are expected to soar to a new peak.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told newspersons here that he has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi explaining the situation.

He requested the Prime Minister to permit use of the entire daily output of 219 tonnes within the State itself. Out of the emergency reserves of 450 tonnes, the State is left with just 86 t.

Recoveries exceed new cases

On Monday, the state reported 27,487 new Covid-positive cases out of the 99,748 samples tested.

The test positivity ratio is 27.56, a slight improvement when compared with the last three days. For the first time in the ongoing second wave of the pandemic, the number of recoveries at 31,209 exceeded daily new cases (27,487).

Active cases are 4.29 lakh on Monday, which is expected to touch six lakh next week, the Chief Minister said. Number of deaths reported were 65, which takes the cumulative toll to 5,789 with a case fatality ratio of 0.3 per cent.

New vaccine consignment

The first consignment of 3.5 lakh Covishield vaccine procured directly by the State government, reached Kochi on Monday. The State government is working on procuring one crore doses (70 lakh Covishield and 30 lakh Covaxin) at the earliest, Vijayan said.

Also on Monday, the State government notified the standardised rates for Covid treatment in private hospitals.

This was in response to directions issued by the High Court after it took cognizance of a number of instances of patients being allegedly fleeced.

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