THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Covid-19 is spreading at a steady pace in the state. However, the government is of the stance that bringing daily life to a grinding halt is not the solution to fight the virus. Rather it is considering to take up intensive awareness campaign among people and increase the testing rate substantially to keep a tab on the virus. Echoing the same, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday said the state’s focus will be to sensitise people about their vulnerability to get infected and thereby, bring down the rate of transmission.
At the same time, he said that upon comparing the performance of various states, the state is faring better as it continues to have an upper hand in the fight against the virus. “Covid transmission is a reality in all 14 districts. Also, the intensity of transmission due to Onam celebrations is yet to be understood fully. But upon conducting a comparative study with other states, the state is performing better. That doesn’t mean that the state will rest on the laurels. It will continue to bring the virus under control in all possible manner,” said the CM.
Briefing the performance of the state in epidemiological parameters like case per million, case fatality rate, death per million, test positivity rate, tests per million and tests per million by case per million, the CM said that Kerala is way ahead of other states.As per the data released by the health department in this regard, the state had a case per million of 2,168 as on September 1 whereas in the same period Tamil Nadu’s was 5710, Karnataka’s was 5310 and Andhra Pradesh’s was 8479. The national average during the period was 2731.
In case fatality rate (deaths per 100 confirmed cases), the state’s figure was 0.4 whereas Tamil Nadu’s was 1.7, Karnataka (1.7) and Andhra Pradesh (0.9). The national average was 1.8. “Take the case of death per million. It’s 8.4 in the state. In Tamil Nadu, it is 88 and in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh it is 97.6 and 77.2 respectively. The national average is 48. One of the reasons why the state is having such low numbers is its strict discharge protocol. While some states discharge a patient if he/she shows no symptoms for 10 days, the state makes sure that the patient tests negative in the antigen assay before discharge,” said the CM.
Earlier, the CM said that in the capital district Thiruvananthapuram the virus transmission has moved from the coastal areas to other pockets. According to him, the prevailing conditions warrant meaningful interventions. The CM added that in Pathanamthitta, as part of the sentinel surveillance, rapid antigen tests will be conducted at all grama panchayats. It will be conducted from September 7. In the case of Alappuzha, the district panchayat, by spending Rs 2.80 crore, has decided to purchase 50,000 antigen test kits and set up 23 kiosks.
“Among the districts Idukki has a recovery rate of 87 per cent. But a worrying aspect was observed from Kasaragod. The district which didn’t report a single death in the first and second phases now has 42 deaths in the third phase. The prevailing infection transmission in coastal areas is also a matter of concern,” he said.The CM said that as part of unlocking, discussions are on for the reopening of driving schools in the state.
2,655 cases: State records biggest single-day spike
T’Puram: The state on Saturday registered its biggest single-day spike with 2,655 new coronavirus cases. A new high in contact transmission was also recorded with 2,433 cases. The infected on the day included 152 returnees (38 from abroad and 114 from other states), 61 health workers and nine staff of INHS, Kochi. Ten deaths were confirmed taking the official toll to 337. Meanwhile, 2,111 from the disease.
