Kerala Covid-19 wrap: State records 1,970 new cases and 15 deaths; toll reaches 4,422

Kerala recorded 1,970 new cases of Covid-19 and 15 deaths on Tuesday. The active caseload amounted to 26,127 as the death toll rose to 4,422.

Ernakulam recorded the highest number of cases (238) on Tuesday, followed by Kozhikode (237) and Kottayam (217).

In the last 24 hours, a passenger from South Africa tested positive for Covid-19. This took the total number of passengers infected with Covid-19 from UK, South Africa and Brazil to 104. Among them, 91 patients have recovered.

The test positivity rate stood at 3.23%, with 60,974 samples being tested in the last 24 hours. 70 people who tested positive on Tuesday had come from outside the state.

A total of 1,742 people were infected through primary or secondary contact with a Covid-positive patient. The source of 145 cases could not be found.

A total of 13 health workers tested positive on Tuesday. 2,884 patients have recovered from the infection and tested negative.

Second dose vaccine for frontline workers in Idukki

Frontline workers who had taken their first dose vaccine between February 12 and 20 will receive their second doses on March 18, 19 and 20. They must take their second dose from the centre where they had taken their previous dose.

The vaccinations are conducted on simultaneous days to avoid wastage of doses. A total of 2,555 people had taken their first dose already.

Thodupuzha also started its free vaccination camp for senior citizens starting from Tuesday morning. This camp will be held at Idukki Medical College and Kattapana Tribal Higher Secondary School.

These camps that will follow all Covid protocols will receive more vaccines and data entry operators.

Manjeri witnesses one year of Covid-19 fight

Malappuram’s Manjeri district has been fighting the virus for a year now. Even before the virus had reached the town, the health authorities had begun their fight to prevent it.

Isolation wards were made ready by January 24. After that, the health workers were given the necessary training to deal with the infected patients, as per reports.

As health workers got busy, they turned the Manjeri Medical College completely into a Covid treatment hospital.

Karnataka makes RT-PCR certificate mandatory for people from Kerala

As Covid cases are rising in Karnataka, the state has made it mandatory for those entering from Kerala and Maharashtra to carry negative RT-PCR certificates. The certificate should not be older than 72 hours.

The checking at borders have also become strict.

People from Kerala staying in hotels, dormitories or resorts must also present a negative RT-PCR certificate. The state has also requested students from Kerala to refrain from traveling frequently, as per reports.