Kerala on Wednesday, July 1, reported 151 new corona cases, and it is the 13th consecutive day that the state has been witnessing over 100 new covid cases.
Briefing reporters in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that 86 of the positive persons come from abroad and 51 other states. Thirteen cases of infection through contact were also reported, he added. A 68-year old who committed suicide in Kozhikode district on June 27 has also tested positive for Covid.
He mentioned that 132 patients under treatment have tested negative today, the highest number of recoveries being reported on a single day.
Of the positive cases, 34 persons are from Malappuram district, 27 from Kannur, 17 from Palakkad, 16 from Thrissur, 12 from Ernakulam, 10 from Kasargod, eight from Alappuzha, six each from Pathanamthitta and Kozhikode districts, four each from Thiruvananthapuram and Kottayam districts, three each from Kollam and Wayanad districts and one from Idukki district.
The country-wise details are UAE 23, Kuwait 21, Saudi Arabia 15, Qatar 10, Oman 9, Moldova 3, Bahrain 1, UK 1, Russia 1, Yemen 1 and Kazakhstan 1. The State-wise details are Tamil Nadu-17, Delhi-11, Karnataka-10, Maharashtra-3, Uttar Pradesh-1, Jammu and Kashmir-1, Madhya Pradesh-1 and Punjab-1. Six CISF personnel in Kannur district are also among those infected. Seven people in Ernakulam district, three from Thrissur district and one each in Alappuzha, Kannur and Kasargod districts are those who contracted the disease through contact.
Vijayan said that 4,593 cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in the State till now and 2,130 patients are still undergoing treatment. “There are currently 1,87,219 people under observation in different districts in the state. Of these, 1,84,388 are under home or institutional quarantine and 2,831 are in hospitals. 290 persons were admitted to the hospital today,” he said.
Seven new places were declared as hotspot today while 10 were excluded from the list. Presently, there are 124 hotspots in Kerala.
Applauds medical fraternity on Doctors Day
The chief minister praised the efforts of doctors and other medical staff in preventing the outbreak of the pandemic.
“Although the number of active cases is going up in the State, the number of cases through contact and the number of deaths are less. The Doctors and other medical staff are at the forefront of our fight against Covid. They have played an important role in taking our public health system to world standards. Our Doctors and medical staff are serving across the world and they are setting new standards of service. They are our ambassadors at this time of distress and we are proud of them,” he said.
Ward level committees
The Chief Minister said that functioning of Ward Level Committees which assist the administration in Covid preventive measures and managing those in quarantine would be strengthened in view of the increasing number of Covid-19 patients in the State.
He noted that those persons discharged from hospitals should inform the ward level committees when they went home. Similarly, those who come from outside Kerala should register on the Covid Jagratha portal. This would help the LSG bodies in making quarantine arrangements for them and also the ward level committees in monitoring them, he said.
The Chief Minister also asked Government employees and teachers who are not able to join office at this time to be part of the Covid prevention work. District collectors should ensure this and use them to support the community volunteers. In Kasargod district, the teachers become part of ward-level committees and this should be replicated other districts as well.
He also informed that the launch of telemedicine has been of great relief to patients who cannot go to hospitals in this Covid season. It should be spread at a local level and Private hospitals should be made a part of this, he added. At present, treatment for Covid is being done only in government hospitals. Their experience will be shared with hospitals in the private sector, the chief minister said.
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