42 new cases & two recoveries today, total 216 patients under treatment

Thiruvananthapuram, May 22: 42 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in Kerala today. 12 persons from Kannur district, seven in Kasargod district, five each from Kozhikode and Palakkad districts, four each in Thrissur and Malappuram districts, two from Kottayam district, and one each in Kollam, Pathanamthitta and Wayanad districts are those who have tested positive. Of the infected people, 23 have come back from other States (Maharashtra-21, Tamil Nadu-1 & Andhra Pradesh-1) and 17 have returned from abroad (Kuwait-7, UAE-5, Saudi Arabia-2 & Qatar-2). Two are cases of local transmission including one health worker in Kasargod.

Meanwhile, two patients under treatment for Coronavirus in Malappuram district have tested negative today. The total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Kerala is 732 and 216 patients are now under treatment in different hospitals. Kannur and Malappuram districts have 36 patients each, followed by 26 in Palakkad district, 21 in Kasargod district, 19 in Kozhikode district and 16 in Thrissur district.

Giving these details, the Chief Minister, Shri Pinarayi Vijayan also announced the death of a 73-year-old lady in Thrissur district who had recently returned from Mumbai.

There are 84,258 persons under observation across the State. 83,649 are quarantined at their homes or institutional quarantine centres and 609 are isolated in hospitals. 162 persons were admitted to hospitals today.

Till now, 51,310 samples have been sent for testing and 49,535 samples have been confirmed without any infection. Apart from this, as part of sentinel surveillance of high-risk group, 7,072 samples were tested separately and out of these, 6,630 samples have been confirmed with no infection.

No new place was declared as hotspots today and presently, there are 28 hotspots in the State.

So far, 91,344 people have arrived in the State from foreign countries and other States by road, sea and air. Of them, 2,961 are pregnant, 1,618 are elderly, and 805 are children. 82,299 persons are other states. There were 9,367 passengers on 43 flights. Out of them, 157 are in hospital quarantine.

Expressing concern over the rising numbers, the Chief Minister said, “The increase in numbers is a serious warning. Our Covid preventive measures need to be enhanced. More people are expected to come back and we will ensure proper testing, treatment and care to all. Serious patients are among those who are coming back. We will ensure additional facilities including ventilators in hospitals to accommodate more in-patients. Huge rush is being seen in some places. Reverse quarantine is to avoid elders and children from going out. People should observe more self-restraint or else all efforts will become ineffective.”