Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala has replaced the 'test positivity rate'-based approach with a more complex but, according to experts, a more scientific method called Infection Population Ratio (IPR) to decide on area specific restrictions.
If the TPR was based on the tests done, the IPR will be based on the population of an area. The argument is COVID-19 tests could be manipulated to keep TPR low, especially by testing less vulnerable people, but population figures cannot be tampered with.
The TPR is a daily figure and denotes the number of positive cases when 100 tests are done. The IPR, on the other hand, is a weekly figure and indicates the number of positive cases among 1000 people in a local body area (panchayat/municipality/corporation).
It will be calculated by multiplying the number of positive cases in the local body in a week with 1000 and dividing this by the total population of the local body. If this is above 10, triple lockdown will be imposed in the area.
For example, if a panchayat with a population of 20,000 has 150 positive cases in a week, the infection population ratio would be calculated by multiplying the total cases (150) with 1000, which would then be divided by the total population of the panchayat (20,000). The IPR of such a local body would be 7.5, which is below the 10 required to impose triple lockdown.
However, the expert panel had raised the concern that local bodies could reduce the number of tests to keep the IPR low. To address this, the government has decided to insist on a minimum number of COVID-19 tests weekly.
At the moment, there are just about seven local bodies in Kerala that have an IPR of 10 or more.
Besides the IPR, a cluster approach will also be adopted. If any area within a 100 metre radius has five or more positive cases, not in a family but scattered, it would be considered a cluster. And these, too, would be put under lockdown under the new strategy.
So there will be both containment zones, at the local body level, and micro containment zones, at the cluster level.
•Shop timings: Shops, except in clusters where triple lockdown is in force, can open on six days. Their working hours have also been extended; they can now function from 7 a.m to 9 p. m.
•Social distancing: The minister said the onus is on shops to ensure social distance. Crowding should be avoided at all costs. There should be a 25 sq ft distance between customers in a shop, the minister said. Also, the minister said it would be advisable if the shops were visited only by those who had taken at least one vaccination dose or those who had tested negative in the last 72 hours or those who had recovered from COVID.
•Weekend lockdown: There will be no shutdown on Saturdays. However, considering Independence Day and Onam, there will be no shutdown on two Sundays, August 15 and August 22.
•Places of worship: The ban on social, political and religious gatherings will continue. Not more than 40 people will be allowed in even places of worship with large space. In others, the number of devotees will have to be kept proportionately low.
•Upper limit for functions: The maximum people allowed for marriages and funerals will remain 20.
Low hospital admissions
The number of patients seeking treatment at hospitals and those needing ICU support has dwindled, she said during the Question Hour session in the Assembly.
"The hospital occupancy and ICU occupancy have decreased in the state now-a-days. That means the severity of the disease is decreasing," George pointed out.
The Health Minister also said the department is now assessing the impact of 'break-through infection' and 'reinfection' among people.
Vaccine breakthrough infection
"We are examining whether people are experiencing vaccine breakthrough infection ( a COVID case that occurs in someone who is fully vaccinated) and reinfection ( a person, who was infected and recovered, is infected again)," she said.
As per a recent survey conducted by the Health Department, the reinfection rate has decreased remarkably.
However, vaccine breakthrough infection is happening in the state, she said, quoting the survey.
Rejecting opposition criticism, George told the House that if a person died of COVID-19, it would be recorded as such.
The instances of people, who died of the virus infection but excluded from the list of COVID deaths somehow, would be examined, she said, adding that no comparison had been made so far between the pandemic death figures of the Health and Local Self Government Departments.
The southern state, on Tuesday, reported 23,676 fresh COVID cases pushing the total infection caseload to 34,49,149, with the number of people succumbing to the virus rising to 17,103 after 148 more deaths.
Nod for houseboats
Houseboats and shikara rides have been allowed to operate in the state. The passengers must submit RT-PCR negative certificates from tests conducted 72 hours before the journey. Those who received at least one dose of vaccination will also be allowed to board the rides.
