Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan finally confirms community spread in Poonthura, Pulluvila

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With Covid-19 cases surging in the state, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday announced community transmission in two coastal hamlets, Poonthura and Pulluvila, of Thiruvananthapuram. Over 150 cases each have been reported from these two regions and all of them are contact cases. As many as 791 cases were reported in the state on Friday, taking the total count to 11,066. Of these, 6,029 are active cases.
Vijayan said an "unprecedented situation" was prevailing in the coastal regions of the state capital, with the infection spreading fast, and steps were being taken to prevent the spread to further areas. A total lockdown will be enforced in these areas from Saturday.

Tests have been increased in these areas and as many as 112 cases were detected here on Friday alone. The movement of people within these regions will be restricted while no one will be allowed to enter these regions from outside.
The chief minister said patients with mild or no symptoms would be admitted to frontline treatment centres hereafter to reduce the burden on hospitals in the event of further spread.
The samples of Shyju (46), who died in Thrissur on July 15, also tested positive on Friday, taking the number of deaths in the state to 39, including a Mahe native who died at Pariyaram medical college hospital on April 11.
The number of contact cases is also rising in the state, with 556 cases reported on Friday alone. These include 15 health workers, seven Kerala Solvents Extraction Ltd staff in Thrissur, one ITBP, one BSF and one fire force personnel.
Source unknown in 42 cases reported on Friday
The source of infection is unknown in 42 cases. Thiruvananthapuram
(240) had the highest number of contact cases on Friday, followed by Ernakulam 84, Pathanamthitta 54, Alappuzha 46, Kollam 29, Kasargod 23, Kozhikode 14, Kottayam 9, Malappuram 8, Wayanad 8, Thrissur 7, Idukki 6 and Palakkad and Kannur one each.
Vijayan said the growing number of contact cases in a few districts is also a matter of concern. In Kumbazha, Pathanamthitta, 51 such cases were reported on the day. Similarly, in Alappuzha, 46 persons were infected through contact and five clusters have been detected. In Ernakulam, there are three active clusters. Similar clusters have been found in Kasaragod, Kozhikode, Idukki, Malappuram and Kollam, where cluster management strategies are being implemented.
Among the 791 new cases, 246 are in Thiruvananthapuram, 115 in Ernakulam, 87 in Pathanamthitta, 57 in Alappuzha, 47 in Kollam, 39 in Kottayam, 32 each in Thrissur, Kozhikode and Kasaragod, 31 in Palakkad, 28 in Wayanad, 25 in Malappuram, 11 in Idukki and nine in Kannur.
In the last 24 hours, 16,642 samples were tested in the state. Till date, 2,75,900 samples (including repeat, augmented and private lab samples) have been sent for tests, of which results of 7,610 are pending. Besides, 84,454 of the total 88,903 samples taken from priority groups as part of sentinel surveillance have tested negative.