Hopes of any abatement in the number of coronavirus cases tested in Kerala were dashed on Monday as Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan disclosed that 193 persons were diagnosed with the pandemic. He said two persons died because of the pandemic.
Briefing reporters, the chief minister said 167 persons were cured of the pandemic on Monday and were back home. “Out of the 193 persons tested positive on the day, 92 were expatriates and 65 were those who returned to the State from other parts of the country,” said Vijayan.
The chief minister said that 384 persons diagnosed with coronavirus were hospitalised on Monday. “Till date 5, 622 persons have been tested positive for covid in the State. There are 2,252 persons undergoing treatment in various hospitals across the State,” he said.
There are 1.83 lakh persons under observation all over the State. “The major cause of concern is the increase in the number of persons infected through social transmission. On Monday there were 35 covid afflicted persons who could not identify or disclose how and from where they got infected and this is a serious issue,” said Vijayan.
Yet another cause of concern , according to the chief minister, was the news that 104 members of para military forces were infected with Covid. He said there are 157 hotspots in the State. “The situation in Thiruvananthapuram is quite serious and that is the reason why we declared triple lockdown in the capital city,” he said and added that relaxations had been made in certain lockdown conditions to lessen the hardship faced by the population.
The Chief Minister said that number of covid cases in capital city was high because of its nearness to Tamil Nadu border.
Kerala has till date sent 2.75 lakh samples for testing. Elsewhere in Kerala, situation has become grave in many places like Ernakulam, Thrissur and Kozhikode.