Kerala's active cases soared to 1.98 lakh on Saturday as the state reported 26,685 fresh Covid-19 infections, 73 of them health workers, pushing the caseload to 13,77,186. the state government said.
The toll mounted to 5,080 with 25 more fatalities.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan urged people to exercise caution and not let down their guard against the virus to halt the spread of the infection.
The government held discussions with management of private hospitals today and they have assured all cooperation to the government, Vijayan told reporters here.
As many as 7,067 people have been cured of the infection and the total recoveries have touched 11,73,202.
Presently, 1,98,576 people are undergoing treatment for the infection.
In the last 24 hours, 1,31,155 samples were tested and the Test Positivity Rate (TPR) shot up to 20.35 per cent.
So far, 1,49,89,949 samples have been tested,a government press release said.
Kozhikode accounted for 3,767 cases, the highest today, followed by Ernakulam 3,320.Malappuram, Thrissur, Thiruvananthapuram and Kottayam recorded over 2,000 cases.
Of the positive cases, 259 people had come from outside the state and 24,596 were infected through contact.
At least 4,31,587 people are undergoing treatment for the virus in various districts, including 18,415 in hospitals.