THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Raising concerns over its fight against Covid-19, 26 fresh cases were reported in Kerala on Thursday, of which 14 persons contracted the disease from outside the state. Two health workers from Kasaragod and a police officer in Wayanad are among the new cases.
The sudden spike in positive cases is an indicator of the grim reality, said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. "But we believe we can overcome this difficult situation with people's help," he said. May had begun on a positive note for Kerala with no one testing positive on the first day. However, the increase in cases in the past two weeks has given the government something to ponder over. While eight cases were reported from May 1 to 9, the next four days reported 55 positive cases, taking the total to 63 in the month. The odd part is that total active cases in the state are 64.
Of the 26 new positive cases, 14 are returnee Malayalis (seven from abroad, four from Mumbai, two from Chennai and one from Bengaluru). While Kasaragod reported 10 cases, five tested positive in Malappuram, three each in Palakkad and Wayanad, two in Kannur, and one each in Pathanamthitta, Idukki and Kozhikode. Three persons (two from Kollam and one from Kannur) were cured on the day. With this, Kollam no longer has any active case.
Stressing the need for considerable change in social behaviour, Pinarayi said the virus is here to stay and the public health sector is in the process to combat the same. "The WHO says that the virus may never go away. It will be here like the HIV that causes AIDS. At this point, the priority of the state is to increase the immunity of the society and establish a standard treatment protocol for Covid-19," he said.