Covid in Kerala: Active caseload falling, but death figures still high

The health department currently measures infectivity at the local body level through the weekly infection population ratio (WIPR). Local body wards reporting a WIPR figure above eight will see tough restrictions. On Thursday, 2,507 wards across 678 rural and urban local bodies were in the category for tough restrictions.

The department said that 13.4% of the active caseload remains in hospitals and Covid-care centres, while the remaining are in home isolation. It claimed that in the patients who underwent treatment for Covid in the Sept 8-14 period, only 2 % required oxygen beds and 1 % ICU facilities.

However, concerns remain about the high number of deaths in the state. Though new infections in the second week of September were significantly lower than the first week, there has only been a marginal decrease in the fatality figure. In the Sept 1-7 period, 1,032 deaths were reported, compared to 959 deaths in the Sept 8-14 period. The total deaths arising out of Covid-19 touched 23,165.

Health Minister Veena George said those suffering from co-morbidities must not delay admission into hospitals once detected with Covid-19. Data from the months of June, July and August show that among those who tested positive, six % had taken one jab of the Covid vaccine and 3.6% had taken both doses.