Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala has reported a 20% decline in the number of Covid cases in the last week. Briefing the media, Chief Minister, Shri Pinarayi Vijayan informed that a 10% decrease in the Test Positivity Rate (TPR) was also reported during this same period. The government is planning a revised strategy for lockdown based on the declining TPR.
Giving details, the Chief Minister said, “The rate of the Covid spread is declining in the state. The average Test Positivity Rate (TPR) for the last three days is 12.7%. Except for Thiruvananthapuram, Palakkad and Malappuram districts, all other districts have a TPR of less than 15% and for Alappuzha and Kozhikode districts; it is below 10%. Even though there is a decline in the TPR as a whole, when it comes to local bodies, the picture is not so rosy. There are 14 local bodies with a TPR higher than 35%, 37 with a TPR between 28-35% and 127 in the 21-28% TPR range. The spread of the disease has come down due to the lockdown, as intended. The lockdown strategy will be changed in the coming days. Instead of implementing the same restrictions and testing methods across the state, it is planned to impose different levels of regulations according to the intensity of the spread of the disease. The local self-governing bodies will be categorised according to the extent of the disease spread and preventive measures will be taken accordingly. The details will be decided later after further consultations.”
7,719 new Covid-19 cases were reported in Kerala today from 68,573 sample tests. At the same time, 161 deaths were confirmed as caused by the disease taking the death toll in the state to 11,342. Today, 16,743 patients have recovered from the infection and at present, there are 1,13,817 persons undergoing treatment for Covid.
The CM also said that the state government is trying to complete the vaccination depending upon the supply of the Covid vaccine from the central government. “However, according to experts, it can take months or years to achieve disease control through herd immunity, no matter how hard we try. There is also the presence of the widespread delta variant of the virus. In view of all this, we should work together and shouldn’t force another lockdown upon the state.”