FAILURE OF KERALA’S COVID DEFENCE TRIGGERS ALARM

K RAVEENDRAN / THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In an embarrassment for Kerala health minister KK Shylaja, a central team is visiting the southern state to study as to what led to the sudden jump in the country’s highest number of daily Covid-19 cases.

According to the assessment by the Union health ministr y, Kerala’s Covid defence has gone completely awry. The state, which was numero uno in the virus’s control earlier, today accounts for the most patients in the countr y. Likewise, the positivity rate is 6 times higher than the national average.

The spike in the infection rate, which began with Onam celebrations, has increased 10 times at the end of the local body election. Maharashtra was the only state ahead of Kerala, but now even that order has been reversed. Apart from Kerala, a central team is also visiting the western state of Maharashtra.

The central team had visited Kerala twice before, but on both the occasions the situation was not as bad as it is today. The Union ministr y is learnt to favour more restrictions in the state, with a serious let-up in implementing the Covid protocol.