THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: One more case of Omicron was detected in Kerala on Saturday, taking the total number of infected people by the new variant of the coronavirus to 38, the State Health Department said.
A 51-year-old Kannur native has been detected with the new variant.
He was in the primary contact list of a COVID-infected student in his neighbourhood.
The infection was confirmed in a genetic sequencing test carried out as part of the sentinel surveillance, the department said.
Meanwhile, an Omicron positive patient in Malappuram district was discharged from the hospital today after 12 days of treatment.
The first Omicron positive patient in the State was discharged from hospital on Friday.
The State detected its first case on December 12 in Ernakulam district when a person who had returned from the UK tested positive.
Kerala on Saturday clocked 2,407 fresh coronavirus cases, taking the total caseload to 52.21 lakh.
However, 3,377 people recuperated from the deadly disease during the same period, taking the total number of those cured in the southern state to 51,61,800. The state health department said 115 deaths were recorded which raised the toll to 46,318.
Of the 115 deaths, 11 were recorded over the last few days and 311 were designated as COVID-19 deaths after receiving appeals based on the new guidelines of the Centre and the directions of the Supreme Court.
Among the districts, Thiruvananthapuram recorded the highest number--505, followed by Ernakulam 424 and Kozhikode 227 cases.
The state tested 44,754 samples in the last 24 hours and there are six wards across five local self government bodies with a weekly infection population ratio above 10 per cent.
There are 1,24,904 people under observation of which 3,858 are in isolation wards of various hospitals.
"Currently there are 24,501 active COVID-19 cases in the state out of which only 9.3 per cent are admitted to various hospitals in the state," the department said in a release.
Of those found infected today, 21 reached the state from outside while 2,253 contracted the disease from their contact. The source of infection of 116 is yet to be traced and 17 health workers are also among the infected.