Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala recorded 11,361 COVID-19 cases on Friday, pushing the total cases in the state to 27,85,304.
In the last 24 hours, 1,11,124 samples were tested and the test positivity rate (TPR) was 10.22 per cent. The CM said the state has reported an average 11.5% TPR in the past three days. There is a dip of 15% in the TPR compared to the previous week. Malappuram has the highest TPR -- 13.8%. With 8.8% Kottayam has recorded the lowest TPR. Alappuzha, Kannur and Kozhikode districts have also reported TPR below 10 per cent.
In the rate of the spike in cases, the state has reported 42% fall compared to the previous week. The number of active cases has come down by 14.4 per cent.
As many as 12,147 people were cured of the infection, taking the total recoveries to 26,65,354.
The active cases dropped to 1,07,682, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said during his customary sunset briefing.
With 90 deaths being reported on Friday, the state's death toll has risen to 11,833.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan cautioned the people of the need to follow Covid protocol strictly even as the state has eased the restrictions as part of lifting the lockdown in a phased manner.
Warning the people of a possible third wave, which is being predicted by many, the CM said the chances of the spread of a variant of the virus which is more dangerous than the delta version cannot be ruled out.
Though the government had eased lockdown curbs on Thursday, places of worship will not reopen in the state as the COVID-19 situation is still a cause of worry.
The chief minister said the people belonging to places which has reported a lower test positivity rate should not be complacent. "The people shouldn't be under the impression that the pandemic has been eradicated in such areas," he said.
The state is following a cluster-wise restriction as part of the Covid containment measures. According to the rules, there are not much restrictions in local bodies that have reported a TPR lower than 8 per cent in the past seven days.
Kerala has administered the first dose of vaccine to more than 10 lakh beneficiaries in the 18 to 44 year age group. The chief minister said that 40 per cent of Kerala's population has received the first dose of the vaccine.
Of the positive cases, 63 were health workers, while 64 had come from outside the state and 10,667 infected through contact. The source of infection of 567 among them is unknown.
District-wise breakup of today's positive cases:
Thiruvananthapuram - 1,550 (contact cases - 1,387)
Kollam - 1,422 (1,412)
Ernakulam - 1,315 (1,277)
Malappuram - 1,039 (1003)
Palakkad - 1,020 (715)
Thrissur - 972 (967)
Kozhikode - 919 (908)
Alappuzha - 895 (883)
Kottayam - 505 (484)
Kannur - 429 (389)
Pathanamthitta - 405 (396)
Kasaragod - 373 (366)
Idukki - 311 (289)
Wayanad - 206 (191)
District-wise breakup of recoveries:
Thiruvananthapuram - 1,581
Ernakulam - 1,533
Palakkad - 1,505
Kollam - 1,318
Alappuzha - 1,183
Thrissur - 1,084
Malappuram - 1,014
Kozhikode - 671
Kottayam - 597
Idukki - 422
Kannur - 411
Kasaragod - 403
Pathanamthitta - 259
Wayanad - 166
A total of 4,69,522 people are under observation in various districts. Of these, 4,41,617 are under home or institutional quarantine and 27,905 are in hospitals.
2335 people were admitted in hospitals on Friday.
So far, 2,17,32,157 samples (including the augmented sample) have been sent for testing.
