A year after COVID-19 outbreak, Kerala continues fighting pandemic's multiple waves

KOCHI:  Exactly on this day last year, the state came to know that novel coronavirus had arrived on its shores. Despite its disastrous effects, it also brought forth fighting spirit of our frontline warriors. A recap of how the state has gone through the grind and is not giving up

In January 30 last year, when the first Covid-19 case in the state was reported in a student who arrived from China’s Wuhan in Thrissur, little did Keralites imagine the horrors the pandemic would unleash on them throughout the year. 

As nation after nation, superpowers and third world countries alike, was entrapped in the tentacles of the virus and as India went into a nationwide lockdown to keep the pandemic in check, Kerala’s robust healthcare system rose to the challenge with its frontline warriors, including doctors, nurses and support staff, battling the pandemic head on.

A crucial year has gone by for the state — a year filled with highs initially and lows later — and the battle is far from over. From being a model state to one of the worst affected in the country, Kerala’s reputation is at stake now. 

It was on January 25 last year that the swab samples of three students, who had arrived from Wuhan, were sent from Thrissur General Hospital to National Virology Institute (NIV), Pune, for tests. The official confirmation of one of them being Covid-19 positive came after five days.

“Having presented with typical symptoms of fever when the patient was admitted to GH, we all were prepared for the worst news. We prepared ourselves for the admission of Covid patients, and about 20 beds were set aside at GH itself. We ardently prayed for the results to be negative but, unfortunately, one tested positive. We have been on a battle with the virus ever since,” said Thrissur DMO Dr K J Reena.

The student was discharged in February and her health condition since then has been good, with no severe post-Covid complications.

Frontline warriors including health workers, police officials and ASHA workers, have been fighting the pandemic since then.

And people themselves were forced to adopt changes in their habits — from wearing masks, not spitting in the public and maintaining physical distancing to avoiding unnecessary travel. 

Though the lockdown imposed in March gave the state’s healthcare system the vital breathing space to equip itself for treating more patients and improving its understanding of the virus, it could do little to stop the pandemic spread. 

“Imposing a complete and stringent lockdown had its own pitfalls, but Kerala went ahead with it anyway. This helped the healthcare system in the state greatly. When the caseload increases beyond the capacity, the healthcare system falls into a spiral of despair. It becomes nearly impossible to recover from such a state. Our fight against Covid-19 has definitely seen great success so far,” said an official with the Kerala State Security Mission (KSSM).

Kochi, being the commercial capital of Kerala and a major transit hub, strategising and implementing effective Covid protocol was a Herculean task.

“Keeping up the morale of the force was a hard but important task. Dealing with the migrants in the district, and reassuring each one that they would be able to reach their homes, was another tough job. We’ve weathered the storm so far,” said K Karthick, Ernakulam Rural SP.

In June last year, Kerala’s test positivity rate (TPR) stood at 2 per cent. This increased to 4.89 per cent in August, and then shot up to 18.16 per cent in October, and slid to 10.98 per cent in November.

The average TPR stands at 9.8 per cent in the state at present.Some experts opine that a timely increase in testing rate, preemptive detection of the infected and their mandatory quarantine would have reduced the sudden surge in cases that were recorded recently.

“Increased testing, conducting more RT-PCR tests rather than over-dependence on antigen tests and institutional care would perhaps have yielded better results. Now, with the vaccination drive commencing, we can hope that the graph is going to show a steady decline,” said Rijo M John, health economist.