Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister, Shri Pinarayi Vijayan today said that Kerala should expect an increased spread of the disease because of the high Test Positivity Rate prevalent in the State. “The Test Positivity Rate is still high and we need to reduce it significantly. The increase in test positivity rate indicates that it will take some more time for the disease to reach its peak in Kerala.”
Meanwhile, 37,190 new Covid-19 cases were detected in the State today from 1,42,588 sample tests in the last 24 hours (Test Positivity Rate – 26.08%). Ernakulam district has reported over 5,000 new active cases. There are 118 healthcare workers among those infected today. At present, there are 3,56,872 patients under treatment in the state for the disease while 26,148 patients have recovered today. 57 recent deaths were also confirmed as due to Covid and the related death toll in the State is now 5,507.
The CM also informed that the State currently has a stock of 2.4 lakh vaccine doses which will only last for a maximum of two days. “Four lakh doses of Covishield and 75,000 doses of Covaxin are expected to arrive today. As on May 03, we have a stock of 270.2 MT of liquid oxygen and 8.97 MT of medical oxygen cylinders. We currently need 108.35 MT of oxygen per day and steps are being taken to ensure oxygen availability.”
Kerala reports higher vaccinations per vial
The Chief Minister disclosed that Kerala could vaccinate more people from each vial as it was used very carefully without wasting even a single drop. “Each Covid vaccine vial contain up to ten doses and one additional dose to factor in wastage. We received 73,38,860 doses from the Central Government and we could use it for 74,26,164 doses. We were able to give the extra dose as well. These figures show that we have already provided more than what the central government had given. We were able to deliver the vaccine with such care, thanks to the ingenuity of the healthcare workers, especially nurses.” The CM also complimented the healthcare workers for this achievement during this crisis. It may be recalled that Kerala was one among the few states that reported zero Covid vaccine wastage.
“The current problem is that vaccines are not available. Either the central government should be prepared to provide free vaccines to those above 45 years of age or at least ensure the supply of vaccines in the country so that the states can afford them. It is imperative that as many people as possible are vaccinated when the disease outbreak is widespread”, he added.
In the meantime, the government has issued ‘Show Cause Notices’ to private hospitals that have still not set apart 50% of the beds for treatment of Covid patients.
The state has gone for stringent restrictions from today (May 04) to May 09 in addition to the weekend lockdown. The extension of the restrictions and imposition of full lockdown will be decided after a review at the end of this week.