The number of new Covid-19 cases diagnosed in Kerala on Saturday stood at 20,624 with 80 persons losing their lives during the last 24 hours, according to Department of Health.
The Test Positivity Rate (average) as on Saturday evening was 12.31 slightly lesser than that of Friday.
But the State has 323 regions spread across 14 districts where the TPR was higher than 15 per cent, according to Veena George, Kerala Minister for Health.
Speaking to reporters at Thiruvananthapuram, the Minister said the next three weeks would be crucial for the State as the doctors have identified the presence of Delta Variant of the Covid-19 in the State.
“This calls for utmost care and caution and I request all the people to cooperate with the Government,” said the Minister.
Malappuram continued to be the ‘problem district’ as 3,474 new cases were diagnosed in the district.
The Health authorities tested 1.67 lakh samples across the State and logged 1.64 lakh patients undergoing treatment for Covid-19.
Dr G P Sidhi, State Coordinator of Ayur Raksh Clinics, explained to The Pioneer that the Delta Variant has more transmission capabilities and that was the reason for the call for caution made by the minister.
“The possibility of Third wave hitting the State even before the second wave subsides has become stronger. If the Second and Third waves hit Kerala simultaneously, it is going to be a matter of concern,” said Dr Sidhi.
She said that the diagnosis carried out across the State showed that there were four lakh cases of post-covid syndrome among the survivors. “Brain Fog (temporary loss of memory) is one of the findings which needs thorough study. Since we are in the initial phase of the pandemic, it will take months before we could make any inference on the impact of post-Covid syndrome,” said Dr Sidhi.