THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Health Minister Veena George has said the state reported 1,600 Covid cases and 10 Covid deaths in the past 45 days. The minister attributed this to the robust health system in the state. She blamed a section of people for trying to create unnecessary fear among the public regarding the spread of the pandemic.
“All victims were admitted to the hospital with other serious illnesses. No one has died owing to Covid. The cases were detected promptly due to the robust health system we have. It should not be misinterpreted that the disease is spreading here. Attempts should not be made to divert the situation by disrupting the normal lives of people,” said the minister. “Elderly and seriously ill people should take precautions to avoid getting Covid,” she added.
The state reported 227 of the 260 cases reported in the country on Monday. The number of active cases also increased to 1,634. Veena said that the health department had announced proper precautionary measures and carried out preparatory work after seeing a slight increase in the number of Covid cases in November itself.
“The same day, the cabinet meeting decided to send the samples for whole genome sequencing. Samples have been sent for whole genomic testing since November,” said Veena. She said the detection of JN.1 variant in a 79-year-old man from Karakulam, Thiruvananthapuram, was the result of consistent monitoring.
“The patient has recovered from Covid after home treatment. The detection of the new variant does not mean that the variant originated in Kerala. The peculiarity is that it was found through testing in Kerala. Singapore has detected JN1 in 15 people who travelled from India to that country in the past months. It means that this Covid variant is also present in other states of India,” said the minister. She said the government has been monitoring the rise in Covid cases. ICU beds and ventilators were made available from the beginning. The effort was to ensure the availability of isolation wards, rooms, oxygen beds, ICU beds and ventilators in hospitals.
The health department conducted an online mock drill to asses the infrastructure preparedness of the hospitals, based on the directions from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The drill was conducted in 1,192 government and private hospitals from December 13 to 16. It was found that 1,957 oxygen beds, 2,454 ICU beds and 937 ventilator ICU beds are available to handle emergency situations.
Thermal scanning begins on the Kodagu-Kerala border
Thermal screening is back in the border check-posts of Kodagu to prevent the spread of Covid-19 sub-variant JN-1. Following instructions from District Minister N S Boseraju, the District Health and Family Welfare Department has deployed staff to conduct thermal screening of tourists entering the district from Kerala. The department has deployed staff at Makutta, Kutta and Karike check-posts bordering Kerala state in the district. Barricades have been placed at these checkpoints even as the department staff are conducting thermal screenings. As confirmed by the department sources, in case of symptoms of high fever or cold, tourists will be asked to take Covid tests at the nearest healthcare centre.