Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja has requested public to be vigilant as the state is witnessing a spike in Covid-19 with the conclusion of the state’s local body elections. Shailaja added that the infection could intensify further. Not only is Kerala likely to see a surge post the local body elections but with Christmas and New Year just weeks away, more cases are expected in the state unless people remain careful.
Currently, Kerala is fighting a tough battle against Covid-19. The state’s test positivity rate (TPR) once again crossed the 10% barrier. The state needs to achieve a low TPR (Test Positivity Rate) which helps in measuring the spread of the virus in the state. On Friday, Kerala reported 5,456 new Covid-19 cases and the TPR is at 10.02%. The state collected 54,472 samples on Friday. Currently, the state has 58,884 active Covid-19 cases and the recovery toll is 632,065.
However, Kerala’s biggest worry has been the daily number of deaths. On Friday, the National Institute of Virology in Alappuzha confirmed 23 casualties, taking the state’s death toll to 2,757. Shailaja has said that the number of deaths will increase if the spread of the virus intensifies.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, the health minister announced that the registration process for Covid-19 vaccine is in its final stage. Through a tweet, Shailaja informed that the first phase of vaccination would cover healthcare workers, Anganwadi workers, and medical students.
The Kerala government started creating a database of health workers for Covid-19 vaccination in November following a directive from the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Meanwhile, the Kerala government has also started building cold storage facilities to store and distribute the vaccine when it arrives. To increase the state’s cold storage capacity further, the state government has reportedly asked the Centre for 20 deep freezers and around 135 Ice Lined Refrigerator. Kerala needs the additional storage facilities and according to reports, the state is likely to get more vaccine doses as Kerala has the highest percentage of people with diabetes and hypertension, according to data from the National Family Health Survey of 2019-20.
