Kerala reports 12,818 new COVID-19 cases, TPR rises to 12.38%

Kerala on Thursday recorded 12,818 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the total number of active cases in the state to 1.28 lakh and the Test Positivity Rate (TPR) to 12.38%. The TPR had crossed 11% on July 19 after remaining below it for several weeks. Thereafter, it has continued to rise each day and has now reached 12.38%. The number of people who succumbed to the virus rose to 15,739 with 122 more deaths. As many as 13,454 people have recovered from the infection, taking the total recoveries to 30.72 lakh, a state government release said.

Thrissur topped in the number of new cases that were reported on Thursday at 1,605, followed by Kozhikode (1,586), Ernakulam (1,554), Malappuram (1,249), Palakkad (1,095), Thiruvananthapuram (987) and Kollam (970). Of the new cases, 85 are health workers, 76 had come from outside the state and 12,034 were infected through contact and the source of contact was not clear in 623 cases.

In the latest 24-hour period, 1.03 lakh samples were tested, taking the cumulative number of specimens examined so far to 2.58 crore. There are currently 4.09 lakh people under surveillance in various districts of the state. Of these, 3.83 lakh are in home or institutional quarantine and 25,497 are in hospitals. There are 626 areas in the state with a TPR of more than 10%, the release said.

The Kerala government’s recent move, to announce three days of relaxations from July 18 to July 20 by opening non-essential shops, considering Bakrid celebrations, had drawn flak from the Supreme Court. After being pulled up by SC, the state government on Wednesday had announced that there will be no further change in the existing lockdown regulations for a week. As per the existing regulations, there is a complete lockdown in Kerala during weekends, with only essential shops and emergency travel being allowed.

(With inputs from IANS)

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