MALAPPURAM: As on Saturday, Malappuram has the highest number of active COVID-19 cases (230) in Kerala. Palakkad is a distant second, with 135 active patients.
Do the high numbers spell trouble for Malappuram district? The health department maintained that while cases rising is a cause for concern, the situation remains under control. Officials said they had expected an increase in positive cases considering the district's NRK (Non-Residential Keralites) population. District Medical Officer K Sakeena told TNIE that the high number of new cases is directly proportionate to the number of people returning from other states and countries.
"Malappuram is the most populous district in the state. The NRK population is also very high. Compared to other districts, a higher number of people have returned to Malappuram from abroad and other states. We cannot assess the situation in Malappuram by merely comparing the number of active cases among districts," she said.
As many as 86,952 NRKs registered with NORKA-Roots to return to Malappuram while 63,929 expatriates signed up for Thrissur and 62,270 for Kozhikode. Only 7,288 NRKs registered to return to Wayanad.
Meanwhile, experts with the Government Medical College Hospital (GMCH) in Manjeri said the rising number of active coronavirus cases in the district should not be taken lightly. "Though we are fully prepared to face the worst situation, we won't be able to give the kind of care patients are getting now if cases continue to rise," said Dr Shinas Babu, the nodal officer at the COVID-19 Special Treatment Centre, GMCH.
"People should follow the quarantine rules and other instructions of the health department and the district administration strictly."
Currently, Malappuram has the lowest COVID-19 recovery rate in Kerala -- about 20 per cent below the state average. However, GMCH doctors believe the district's recovery rate is set to improve within three weeks.
"During the phase when people returned to the state from Wuhan and Italy, Malappuram recorded 100 per cent recovery. The district had become COVIDfree then. Now we are going through what is being called the Gulf phase. Since the first week of June, the daily positive count has been increasing, reducing the recovery rate. We expect the recovery rate to improve within three weeks," Dr Shinas said.