Local transmission of COVID-19 is escalating across the State with more cases from the community and clusters being reported in almost all districts.

On Wednesday, the daily case number climbed further to reach 623 cases, 450 of which were cases of local transmission, with 37 cases having no epidemiological link.

The situation in the capital district of Thiruvananthapuram continued to be grave with 135 out of the 157 cases reported on Wednesday occurring through local transmission.

On Wednesday, with 196 recoveries, the State’s tally of active cases stood at 4,880. A 59-year-old woman in Idukki, who had died following a heart attack, has been confirmed as having had COVID-19. The death toll now stands at 35.

The cumulative case burden now is 9,553, with 4,636 having recovered from the disease till date.

Clusters formed through local transmission was reported from the coastal villages in Alappuzha, Chellanam in Ernakulam, Kottayam, Pathanamthitta, Malappuram, Kannur, Kasaragod and Kozhikode.

In Ernakulam, 64 out of the 72 cases reported on Wednesday had developed through local transmission. Three clusters had been found in the district, with 70 out of the 544 tested in Chellanam, 59 out of the 516 tested in Aluva and 20 out of the 182 tested in Ernakulam market turning positive for SARS-CoV-2.

In Idukki, 11 out of the 55 cases found on Wednesday, the source of infection was unknown. In Kannur, the disease had spread like wild fire through the defence services camps, with 70 CISF personnel and some 400 Defence Security Corps personnel testing positive so far.

In Kozhikode, with cluster formation at Thooneri and Nadapuram panchayats, 62 out of the 64 are contact cases.