Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala's COVID-19 case count reached 73,855 on Sunday, with the state reporting 2,154 fresh cases. The state also registered 1,766 recoveries in the last 24 hours.

So far, 49,845 people recovered from the disease, while 23,658 patients are still under treatment in various hospitals across the state, Kerala Health Minister K K Shailaja informed.

Local transmission of COVID-19 continues unabated as 1,962 of the newly reported cases contracted the virus through contact. Of this, the infection sources of 174 are unknown, the minister said in a statement.

Apart from this, 33 healthcare workers (11 from Ernakulam, nine from Kannur, four from Kasaragod, three each from Kollam and Malappuram, one each from Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur and Palakkad) also contracted the virus.

Of the 2,154 cases reported on Sunday, 49 people came from abroad, while 110 came from other states.

With seven more COVID-19 deaths, the toll has risen to 287 in Kerala.

The deceased have been identified as Sanathandas, 49, from West Bengal; Anandan, 64, from Kannur; Anamma, 90, from Iritti in Kannur; Palayyan, 64, from Parassala in Thiruvananthapuram; Ammini, 63, from Avinasseri in Thrissur; Subair Muhammed Kunji, 40, from Chandragiri in Kasaragod; and Chandran, 66, from Kozhikode.

District-wise break-up of today's positive cases:

Thiruvananthapuram – 310 (contact cases – 305)

Kozhikode – 304 (292)

Ernakulam – 231 (202)

Kottayam – 223 (212)

Malappuram – 195 (184)

Kasaragod – 159 (139)

Kollam – 151 (142)

Thrissur – 151 (145)

Pathanamthitta – 133

Kannur – 112 (90)

Alappuzha – 92 (88)

Palakkad – 45 (26)

Idukki – 35 (23)

Wayanad – 13 (97)

District-wise break-up of recoveries:

Malappuram – 328

Alappuzha – 258

Ernakulam – 182

Thiruvananthapuram – 161

Thrissur – 115

Kannur – 113

Kozhikode – 110

Kasaragod – 111

Pathanamthitta – 132

Kottayam – 72

Kollam – 53

Idukki – 45

Wayanad – 22

Palakkad – 4

Testing and quarantine

In the last 24 hours, 27,908 samples have been tested. In total, 16,69,779 samples (including routine, airport surveillance, pooled sentinel, CBNAAT, TrueNAT, CLIA and antigen assay) were sent for testing. As many as 1,78,053 samples also collected as part of sentinel surveillance.

Of the 1,99,468 people under observation for suspected infection, 1,79,982 are home/institutional quarantined and 19,486 hospitalised. As many as 2,378 people were hospitalised since Saturday.

14 new places were designated as hotspots on Sunday, while 18 regions were excluded from the list. The state presently has 586 hotspots.