Covid situation alarming in Ernakulam

TPR 7.2% | Collector urges public to exercise caution, says may need stringent steps like curfew 
People crowding at High Court Junction ignoring Covid protocol despite the rapid rise in cases in the district | A Sanesh
People crowding at High Court Junction ignoring Covid protocol despite the rapid rise in cases in the district | A Sanesh

KOCHI: Covid’s second wave is strengthening its grip on Ernakulam day by day, with the situation worsening by the hour. The test positivity rate (TPR) reached an alarming 7.2% on Friday. District Collector S Suhas urged people to reinforce their precautions against the virus, failing which ICU beds and hospital facilities will fall short in the coming days, he warned. Thrikkakara Municipality, Kochi Corporation and Kalamassery Municipality are particularly under Covid threat in the district, he said. 

“Amid the election fever, the number of cases rose steeply in the last two weeks. TPR, which stood at 5.5% on Thursday when 11,800 tests were done, surged to over 7% when only 8,000 tests were conducted. This upward swing is disconcerting and fraught with danger. Our strategy as of now is to focus on widespread vaccination and to increase the number of Covid tests being conducted daily. Efforts are on to increase the number of tests to 12,000 daily, from the 8,000-11,000 being conducted now. Of the total tests, 66% are RT-PCR,” said Suhas. 

Thrikkakara, particularly, requires urgent measures as the Covid situation is getting out of control. Over 200 active cases have been reported in the area. The cases per million count is highest in the region, when compared to any other local body. “As many as 2,237 cases per million have been reported in the region. Local bodies and police have been instructed to strengthen Covid preventive measures,” said Suhas. 

“It is the elections that have caused the Covid cases to rise sharply. If the situation continues like this, curfew and other restrictions will have to be implemented,” said Ajita Thankappan, Thrikkakara municipal chairperson.  Along with the vaccination drive in the district, symptom surveillance will also be undertaken in various regions. The collector noted that in the second wave, more patients are symptomatic unlike in the first wave. “Almost 54.6% infected patients are symptomatic. The situation will go out of hand if we are not vigilant,” said Suhas. 

The vaccination drive is to be undertaken in a decentralised way, ward by ward. As of now, vaccination of over three lakh people above the age of 45 years has been completed in the district -- over 11 lakh people in the district belong to this age bracket. The practice of contact tracing would be strengthened and strictly monitored, said health officials. The district surveillance team has proposed strategies for increasing the number of tests being conducted daily.

The collector also noted with concern the high number of active cases in Kochi Corporation and Kalamassery Municipality areas. “In Kochi Corporation, there are 698 active cases. Cases per million is less, at 915.”Necessary financial aid has been provided to the health department for more public awareness drives, he said. “If this situation is to continue, the daily case load might go over 800 in the coming week,” the collector said.

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