The State on Wednesday reported 8,369 new COVID-19 cases when the number of samples tested in the past 24 hours went up to 62,030. There were also 6,839 recoveries on the day.
The test positivity rate which has been fluctuating all of last week, touched 13.5%, higher than the 12.2% that was registered on Tuesday.
The cumulative case burden now stands at 3,61,841. The total recoveries being 2,67,082, the number of active cases or patients currently being treated in hospitals is 93, 425.
At present, 804 patients are critically ill and being treated in ICUs with 196 of them requiring ventilator support.
The Health Department reported 26 more deaths, taking the cumulative toll to 1,232.
Six of these deaths were reported from Thrissur, five each from Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam, three each from Ernakulam and Kannur, and two from Palakkad.
On Wednesday, 98% of the new cases reported – 8,209 cases – are locally acquired infections, with the source of infection remaining in unknown in 883 cases. The number of health-care workers who contracted the infection is 64.
Among districts, Ernakulam reported the maximum number of cases at 1,190, Kozhikode 1,158, Thrissur 946, Alappuzha 820, Kollam, 742, Malappuram 668, Thiruvananthapuram 657, Kannur 566, Kottayam 526, Palakkad 417, Pathanamthitta 247, Kasaragod 200, Wayanad 132 and Idukki 100.