One more COVID-19 death in Kerala 62 new cases reported

(Eds: Adds CM's quotes)
Thiruvananthapuram, May 29 (PTI) A health worker, two
cabin crew of Air India Express and two prisoners were among
the 62 who tested positive in Kerala on Friday, taking the
total tally of infections in the state to 1,150.
A gulf returnee succumbed to the virus, taking the total
number of fatalities in the state to eight.
The 65-year-old deceased, hailing from Thiruvalla in
Pathanamthitta district, was undergoing treatment at the
Kottayam medical college hospital, where he succumbed to the
virus early on Friday.
Theman had returned from the Gulf on May 11.
Of the infected, 33 people had come from various
countries while 23 had come from other states, including Tamil
Nadu and Maharashtra 10 each, Karnataka, Delhi and Punjab one
each and one person was infected through contact, Chief
Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters here.
Palakkad reported 14, Kannur seven, Thrissur and
Pathnamthitta six each, while Malappuram and Thiruvanthapuram
five each, Kasaragod and Ernakulam four each.
Ten people have been treated and discharged from
hospitals.
The total active cases has touched 577 and 1.24 lakh
people are under observation.
The government said as many as 12,191 isolation beds were
ready in state-run hospitals.
Two inmates of special sub-jails in Thiruvananthapuram
and Neyyattinkara have tested positive while other prisoners
of their block and the police officers are kept under
observation.
The state government has also opened a centre in all the
14districts forthe prisoners.
Allaying the fears of community spread, Vijayan said the
government had expected theCOVID-19 cases in the state to
rise following ease in lockdown restrictions.
But, there is no cause for any worry about community
spread as of now, he added.
To ascertain if there was any community transmission of
the virus, the government had conducted the augmented test as
part of sentinel surveillance and 3,128 samples were tested on
a single day.
Four each had tested positive in sentinel surveillance
and Augmented tests.
Also this week, out of the 355 positive cases, only 27
were infected due to contact, the CM said.
"From May 10 to now, out of the total 644 cases, only 65
are due to contact. This is 10.09 per cent. Out of the total
557 active cases, 45 were infected through contact," he noted.
The state government has till now spent Rs 227.35 crore
through Medical Service Corporation for COVID-19 management.
On the government's preparedness, he said 12,191
isolation beds were ready in government hospitals.
Presently,1,080 people are admitted to isolation wards.
At least,49,702 beds, 1,369 ICUs and 1,045 ventilators
are ready in1,296 government hospitals while in 866 private
hospitals there are 81,904 beds, 6,059 ICU beds and 1,578
ventilators, Vijayan said.
He reassured that there was nothingto worry with the
rise in positive cases as there was only one case through
contact out of the 62 casestoday.
In the northern Kannur district, the rate of infection
was more than the state's average and the government was
planning to implement triple lockdown containment measuresas
was done in Kasaragod earlier.
"If the infection rate through contact in state is around
10 per cent, Kannur has 20 per cent. Out of the total 93
active cases in Kannur, 19 was through contact.
The district administration and the health department
will have to implement the restrictions in a strict manner
there. If the spread increases, we might have to implement
triple lockdown," Vijayan said.
As per the latest medical bulletin, Palakkad has 117
positive cases, the highest, followed by Kannur with 99 cases.
Malappuram has 56 cases, while Kasaragod has 64 and the
state capital 41 cases. PTI RRT UD
ROH ROH

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)