Coronavirus in Kerala 'beyond control'; positivity rate highest in the country
- Tuesday | 26th January, 2021
Coronavirus in Kerala 'beyond control'; positivity rate highest in the country
- | Tuesday | 26th January, 2021
The spread of coronavirus in Kerala is "beyond control", according to Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, scientific advisor, Indian Medical Association, Kerala.The test positivity rate in Kerala is the highest in the country and the ICU beds in the state are getting full. The state is also relatively slow to roll out the Covid-19 immunisation programme which was started across the country on January 16.
The spread of coronavirus in Kerala is "beyond control", according to Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, scientific advisor, Indian Medical Association, Kerala.
The test positivity rate in Kerala is the highest in the country and the ICU beds in the state are getting full. The state is also relatively slow to roll out the Covid-19 immunisation programme which was started across the country on January 16.
The five-day average trendline indicates that the cases are once again rising in Kerala since the beginning of January. On Sunday, there were over 6,000 new cases registered. The state has been reporting over 5,000 cases since January 16.
On Sunday, the state reported the maximum number of single-day recoveries with 5,173, yet it has the highest number of active cases among all the states.
Kerala accounts for 39.7% (73,121) of the active cases. Maharashtra, with 25% (46,057) of the total active coronavirus cases was at the second spot.
The total number of active cases in the state is higher than the combined total of the other five worst-hit states.
In the 24 hours ending 2 pm on Monday, 30,903 samples were tested and the test positivity rate was 12.5%. So far, 92,89,304 samples have been sent for testing.
Since November, Kerala’s positivity rate has been above 9%, which is a matter of concern.
There are only four states with a positivity rate above 3%. Four other states/UTs have it between 2% and 3% while 22 others have 0.2% to 1.6%, an indication that herd immunity may have set in these areas.
If the positivity rate, number of confirmed Covid cases per 100 tests, is above 5% measured over a 14-day period, the state is considered to be in the red zone and needs to impose lockdown in its containment zones. In Kerala, the positivity rate is still rising in contrast to the nationwide trend.
"Elections took place in December that meant there was a lot of social activity. Many gatherings are taking place. Cinema theatres have been opened. What we are saying now is only an expected outcome of what was happening in November and December," Jayadevan said.
"When elections are held, it was impossible to control the crowd. No matter how much we tried. It is impossible to enforce social distancing in an election," he added.
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