Kerala announces 2-day lockdown to stem the spread of COVID-19

Kerala, which has an active case load of around 154,000 infections and accounts for 37.1% of India’s total active cases, has announced a two-day lockdown to stem the spread of COVID-19. Its case positivity rate indicates the pace of spread in COVID-19 infections is now the country’s highest.

The state’s department of disaster management in an official statement said special intensified stringent restrictions are being implemented in the areas where the test positivity rate is high. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya tweeted that the central government is sending a six-member team from the National Centre for Disease Control to the state. “As a large number of COVID cases are still being reported in Kerala, the team will aid the state’s ongoing efforts in COVID management.”

Dr Sulphi Noohu, Kerala Chapter of Indian Medical Association, says the 22,000 plus positive cases per se is not the worry but the jump in hospitalizations by 1,000 to 3,200 from about 2,200 is a matter of concern. According to the Health Ministry data, the state has reported a high case positivity of 12.93% cumulatively and 11.97% weekly, with six districts reporting more than 10% weekly positivity rate.

Moroever, a serosurvey by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), done between June 14 and July 6, Kerala at 44.6% has the lowest COVID antibodies. Kerala, on Wednesday, recorded 22,056 fresh COVID-19 cases, pushing the infection caseload to 33,27,301 with the number of people who succumbed to the virus rising to 16,457 with 131 more deaths.

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Meanwhile, the Chennai International Airport and Bengaluru airport authorities have set up a Rapid RT-PCR test facility. Passengers travelling abroad, especially to the Middle East and from there to other countries, including Australia, European countries and USA etc. can avail this facility.