Ernakulam turns hotspot in fresh Covid wave

KOCHI: With the daily case count hovering around 400, Ernakulam district has emerged as the hotspot in the fresh Covid wave in Kerala. Ignoring the infection threat and flouting of Covid safety norms appear to be the reasons for the rise in positive cases. Over the past two days, over 400 daily cases have been reported in the district, according to the health department.

On Thursday, the figure stood at 407 while it was 463 on Wednesday. Last week, 26 Covid deaths too were reported in Ernakulam district. The number of active cases now stands at around 7,000. The daily case count in other districts is low compared to Ernakulam, an official said.

As testing has increased, the caseload too is going up.“Around 3,000 Covid tests are carried out daily to identify and isolate those infected. Cases may go up further in the coming days,” said District Medical Officer V Jayasree. She pointed out that Covid protocol has not been relaxed in public places. 

“People should wear masks, maintain social distancing and use sanitiser to curb the spread,” she said.
At the same time, a majority of people continues to flout the norms. With cluster formation reported in various colleges and institutions, the health department has urged everyone to remain vigilant. 

“Buses run packed with people, violating the Covid protocol. Most people don’t wear masks properly while in public. The Omicron variant was highly transmissible, and so is its sub-variant. Implementing stringent Covid measures is the only way to tackle the spread. With schools reopening, the situation will become difficult to manage if there is further spread,” a health official said.Amid the rise in infection rate, Covid vaccination is progressing in the district. So far, over 31.10 lakh people have been vaccinated in the district.