Kerala placed dangerously as cases top 18k

Kerala recorded its highestever daily Covid cases of over 18,000, signalling a new spike threating to throw the state’s health system out of gear. A bigger worry is the test positivity rate (TPR) of 16.7 is also the highest.

In the acutely-affected districts of Ernakulam and Kozhikode, the rate has crossed even the dangerous level of 20%. The 2 districts have recorded over 2,000 new cases a day. Other 5 districts have over 1,000 new cases.

The big spike is the result of a drive for mass testing the state government launched in the recent days, targeting at least 100,000 tests a day. Over 3 lakh samples were collected on Friday and Saturday. With more results of the mass testing expected in the next few days, the daily caseload is expected to hit the feared 25,000, which is expected to put the health infrastructure to great strain. The state has launched a parallel mass vaccination drive, for which the government has sought more vaccine supplies from the Centre.

It is experiencing a shortage of life-saving medicines, including Ramedesivir and the government procurement firm is seeking to get the supplies directly from the manufacturers.

Further, adding to the uncertainty is the Thrissur Pooram, the rituals have already opened and preparations are in full swing for the the programmes, including the grand finale, which generally attracts lakhs of enthusiasts.

The temple Deveswoms associated with the Pooram want those who have already taken one dose to be allowed to join the celebrations, while the health authorities are insisting on the second dose as eligibility.

The Devasoms want mahouts taking part in the Kudamattam show to be exempted from RTPCR test for allowing elephants to take part, as per the protocol. The Devaswom authorities are alleging a move to scuttle the world-famous Pooram and claim the restrictions are part of such a plan.