Kerala: 6,334 test positive; positivity rate at 10.3%

T’PURAM: The state on Thursday reported 6,334 new Covid-19 cases taking the number of active cases to 69,771.
Among the fresh cases, 5,658 were contracted through local transmission. The sources of infection were unknown in 517 cases while 66 healthcare workers and 93 arrivals were also among the infected.
While 6,229 recoveries were reported on the day, the state’s test positivity rate (TPR) hit 10.3% as 61,279 samples were tested in 24 hours.Meanwhile, 21 recent deaths were confirmed as Covid-19-related taking the toll in the state to 3,546.
No fresh cases with the new strain of coronavirus have been reported in the state even as 66 people that returned from the United Kingdom after December 9 have contracted Covid-19. Nine of them were earlier confirmed with the new strain and other samples are with NIV, Pune.
Ernakulam reported the highest number of cases, 771 followed by Malappuram, 657, Kottayam, 647, Kollam, 628, Kozhikode, 579, Pathanamthitta, 534, Thiruvananthapuram, 468, Thrissur, 468, Alappuzha, 415, Idukki, 302, Kannur, 229, Palakkad, 241, Wayanad, 238, and Kasaragod, 87.
Ernakulam also had the most cases (730) through contacts followed by Kollam, 625, Malappuram, 604, Kottayam, 587, Kozhikode, 559, Pathanamthitta, 473, Thrissur, 458, Alappuzha, 404, Thiruvananthapuram, 312, Idukki, 284, Wayanad, 232, Kannur, 226, Palakkad, 89, and Kasaragod,
75.
Most cases among healthcare workers were reported from Kannur (15) while Ernakulam had 12, Pathanamthitta, 11, Malappuram, six, Kozhikode five, Thiruvananthapuram and Palakkad, four each, Wayanad, three, and Kollam, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki, Thrissur and Kasaragod, one each.
With 798 people cured on the day, Pathanamthitta posted the highest number of recoveries while Ernakulam had 713, Kottayam, 697, Malappuram, 572 and Kozhikode, 525 among others.
There are 2,09,828 persons under observation in the state, including 1,98,107 at their homes or institutional quarantine centres and 11,721 at hospitals. At least 1,482 people were hospitalised on Thursday.
The state has 406 hotspots after three places were added to the list and two areas were excluded.