Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala reported 4,991 new coronavirus positive cases after 52,790 tests on Friday. The state also registered 5,111 recoveries in the last 24 hours, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said during a press meet in Thiruvananthapuram.
With 23 deaths being reported on Friday, the state's death toll has risen to 3,095.
Of the new cases, 4,413 contracted the disease through contact. The source of infection of 425 among them is unknown.
As many as 94 infected persons came from outside the state.
The state has reported 7,65,924 COVID-19 cases so far, out of which 6,97,591 persons recovered. The remaining 65,054 patients are undergoing treatment.
Key points from CM's media briefing:
• The number of senior citizens in Kerala is high. Many of them are staying away from their children and therefore facilities like pension scheme, CMDRF help, medicines will be taken care of.
• A list of houses where people above the age of 65 and those with disabilities are staying will be prepared by local authorities. All kinds of facilities will be initiated for their ease starting from January 15.
• Discussions and seminars by eminent personalities will be organised for students who wishes to study abroad and are financially backward This is to help these students to reach out for higher studies and education facilities.
• Movie theatres to open from January 5 following the COVID guidelines.
• Only half of the seats should be used in the theatres.
• Arts and festivals can be organised adhering to COVID protocol. 100 persons can be accommodated in indoor auditoriums and 200 persons for outdoor events.
• Hostels for students will be permitted soon.
Testing and quarantine
A total of 2,43,828 people are under observation in various districts. Of these, 2,31,831 are under home or institutional quarantine and 11,997 are in hospitals.
1,384 people were admitted in hospitals on Friday.
So far, 79,64,724 samples (including the augmented sample) have been sent for testing.
On Friday, two more regions have been converted into hotspots and four have been excluded from the list taking the total number of hotspots to 456 in the state.
District-wise breakup of today's positive cases:
Ernakulam- 602 (553 through contact)
Malappuram- 511 (459)
Pathanamthitta- 493 (433)
Kottayam- 477 (454)
Kozhikode- 452 (425)
Thrissur- 436 (421)
Kollam- 417 (412)
Thiruvananthapuram- 386 (248)
Alappuzha- 364 (353)
Kannur- 266 (202)
Palakkad- 226 (120)
Wayanad- 174 (163)
Idukki- 107 (102)
Kasaragod- 80 (68)
District-wise breakup of recoveries:
Thiruvananthapuram- 357
Kollam- 363
Pathanamthitta- 255
Alappuzha- 393
Kottayam- 480
Idukki- 144
Ernakulam- 594
Thrissur- 637
Palakkad- 246
Malappuram- 480
Kozhikode- 707
Wayanad- 214
Kannur- 213
Kasaragod- 28
Kerala is all set for the dry run or mock drill of COVID-19 vaccination in Kerala on January 3.
The dry run would be held in four districts in Kerala. Thiruvananthapuram: Poozhanad Primary Health Centre, Peroorkada District Model Hospital, KIMS Hospital. Idukki: Vazhathope Primary Health Centre. Palakkad: Nenmara Community Health Centre. Wayanad: Kurukkamoola Primary Health Centre.
Health Minister KK Shailaja said that 25 health officials each would be posted in the six centres where the dry run would be held. The exercise would be carried out just like the original and the minister said basic infrastructure including vaccine carriers had been kept ready.
(to be updated)
