T’puram records highest single-day death toll of 85

Thiruvananthapuram: The district recorded the highest single-day Covid death toll of 85 on Wednesday. All these deaths have occurred in the last four days. A 27-year-old man who died on Sunday is the youngest fatality in the list. A total of 29 persons died of Covid-19 as per the list on Monday.
Over 740 Covid deaths were officially confirmed in the district in May. In the last seven days, 294 persons died of Covid-19 in the district and case fatality rate (CFR) of Thiruvananthapuram as on Tuesday is 1.65% whereas CFR of Kerala is 0.85%.
Even while test positivity rate (TPR) has dipped to 19.3% in last seven days, number of Covid deaths has been on the rise in the district. Daily confirmed Covid-19 deaths in the district have been above 40 since Friday. The list of the deceased released by the health department includes six persons who were in 80s and 90s. A 98-year-old woman who died on Monday is the oldest in the list. Concerns have grown over the manner in which elderly persons are being exposed to the virus and are dying due to complications.
Death rate is peaking in the district even while Covid hospital admissions have slightly dropped from 3,722 to 3,143 between May 23 and June 1. Even the ICU occupancy curve, which has been on an upward climb, dropped from 646 to 619 between May 29 and June 1. Still there has been no respite in death rate. The officials said that it was expected considering the occupancy of critical care facilities in the district.
As on Tuesday, there were 488 Category C patients under treatment in the Medical College Hospital. Private hospitals had 898 admissions in the same category till Tuesday. Even the general hospital had around 150 Category C patients. ICU vacancy has been 11%, two months after second wave hit the district. Out of 698 ICU beds in government and private hospitals, 619 have been occupied. While the health team set up 274 ventilators in government and private hospitals, 213 of them were occupied till Tuesday. A total of 489 patients were on oxygen support in the district.
Meanwhile, there has been an alarming rise in TPR in coastal panchayats. In the first month of the second wave, coastal panchayats had shown low TPR. However, in the last seven days panchayats like Anchuthengu, Karumkulam, Kottukal, Kadinamkulam, Poovar and Karode have shown TPR above 30%. Anchuthengu has shown a TPR of 51.15% in the last seven days with 89 out of the 174 samples testing positive. Coastal panchayats like Karode and Kadinamkulam have also recorded a TPR of 40% and above in one week.