Covid cases in Kerala is rising at a fast pace with the return of Keralites from other states. On Friday, the state witnessed its eighth Covid death when a senior citizen under treatment at the Kottayam Medical College hospital died due to coronavirus infection. A diabetic, Joshi Mathew, 65, who was working in the Gulf had landed in Kerala on May 18. Since then he had been undergoing treatment. Initially he was admitted at Pathanamthitta District Government Hospital.
Media reports suggest condition of at least two persons is serious. State Health Minister KK Shailaja told the media that Kerala does not come under a community spread area as with the arrival of Keralites in large numbers from within the country and abroad the state which had flattened the curve showed spike in covid cases.
Shailaja said the rise in cases is on the expected lines. “After May 7 lockdown norms were eased. Since then people from within the country and abroad started coming, we expected this would happen, as most are coming from epicentres of positive cases.”
However, she said there was no reason to panic. “There is no cluster cases because we track, trace and isolate very effectively. At the same time, we cannot be complacent as all rules of lockdown have to be abided by,” she said.
“It must be recalled that in the first phase the rate of contact spread was 30 per cent and now with more and more cases being reported, the contact spread has come down to 15 per cent and this is something very positive. This shows that there is no community spread,” added Shailaja.
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