Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala reported 5,328 new coronavirus positive cases after 54,098 tests on Saturday. The state also registered 4,985 recoveries in the last 24 hours, the Health department informed in a press statement.
The total number of recoveries in the state crossed 7 lakh, while the Test Positivity Rate continues to be high at 9.85 per cent.
With 21 deaths being reported on Thursday, the state's death toll has risen to 3,116.
Of the new cases, 4,801 contracted the disease through contact. The source of infection of 392 among them is unknown.
As many as 78 infected persons came from outside the state.
The state has reported 7,66,261 COVID-19 cases so far, out of which 7,02,576 persons recovered. The remaining 65,374 patients are undergoing treatment.
UK returnees test positive
Thirty-seven people who returned from the UK to Kerala recently have tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, Health Minister K K Shailaja said.
The samples of the UK returnees have been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) for further testing for the mutant variant.
The minister said of the 11 results received from NIV, none had tested positive for the new variant.
In the past 24 hours, no returnees had tested positive, Shailaja said in a press release.
Testing and quarantine
A total of 2,40,490 people are under observation in various districts. Of these, 2,28,679 are under home or institutional quarantine and 11,811 are in hospitals.
1,223 people were admitted in hospitals on Saturday.
So far, 80,18,822 samples (including the augmented sample) have been sent for testing.
On Saturday, six more regions have been converted into hotspots and 14 have been excluded from the list taking the total number of hotspots to 448 in the state.
District-wise breakup of today's positive cases:
Ernakulam- 743 (691 through contact)
Kozhikode- (578)
Malappuram- 580 (547)
Kottayam- 540 (501)
Pathanamthitta- 452 (386)
Thrissur- 414 (398)
Kollam- 384 (376)
Alappuzha- 382 (372)
Thiruvananthapuram- 290 (202)
Palakkad- 240 (124)
Idukki- 223 (217)
Wayanad- 204 (191)
Kannur- 197 (149)
Kasaragod- 83 (69)
District-wise breakup of recoveries:
Thiruvananthapuram- 355
Kollam- 361
Pathanamthitta- 273
Alappuzha- 346
Kottayam- 893
Idukki- 153
Ernakulam- 552
Thrissur- 418
Palakkad- 274
Malappuram- 457
Kozhikode- 445
Wayanad- 178
Kannur- 219
Kasaragod 61
At least 25 health workers each took part in the dry run, organised in four districts of Kerala on Saturday to asses the preparedness of the state's health sector for the COVID-19 vaccination once the vaccine is received.
The vaccine mock drill was conducted in four districts- Thiruvananthapuram, Idukki, Wayanad and Palakkad from 9am to 11am.
In the first phase, government and private sector health workers, medical students and Asha and Anganwadi workers would be among those who would receive the vaccine and so far, 3.13 lakh people have registered for the same, health department said.
