Kerala: Record spike of 488 Covid-19 cases, two deaths on Saturday

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the state reporting its biggest single-day spike of 488 new Covid cases on Saturday, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan warned that more superspread areas were emerging and the state was on the verge of a community spread. The death toll climbed to 30 with two fatalities.
The Covid situation is getting worse as the number of people getting infected through contact and whose source of infection is unknown is on the rise, the CM said.
Of the new cases, 167 people had come from abroad and 76 from other states. The remaining, 243, got the viral infection through contact. The contact cases include three health workers, two ITBP and two BSF personnel. As many as 143 people recovered from the disease. Sixteen new hotspots were added and 15 areas shed the hotspot tag across the state.
The highest number of cases was reported from Alappuzha (87) with 51 contact cases. The spread of the disease was centred around Kayankulam market and ITBP camp in Thamarakkulam panchayat.
State capital reports 69 fresh cases
The state capital reported 69 cases with 11 unknown-source cases. Forty-five wards spread across nine local bodies have been declared as containment zones and efforts were on to check the spread and increase societal awareness about the disease, the CM said.
As many as 51 cases were reported from Malappuram, including 27 contact cases. There are four clusters in the district now. As a large number of cases with unknown source was reported in Ponnani, the area has been put under severe restrictions and total lockdown would be observed in Ponnani municipal areas on Sunday. People should not venture out unnecessarily and those who step out for emergencies should carry their ration cards with them, the CM said.
As many as 1,82,050 people are currently under observation, including 3,694 in hospitals. On Saturday, 570 were admitted in hospitals. In last 24 hours, 12,104 samples were tested.