Daijiworld Media Network - Thiruvananthapuram (SD)
Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 13: While the nation battles to control the growing numbers of positive coronavirus cases, Kerala state, which has several hotspots of the disease has seen only two positive cases on Sunday. Six out of last 10 days saw only single digit rise.
On the other hand, the state is also credited of highest recovery rate which records 179 recoveries out of 375 cases after 36 patients were cured and discharged on Sunday, which also accounts to 48 percent recovery as revealed by the state government data.
Nationwide the recovery rate stands only 9 percent with only 765 cured or discharged out of 8,447 cases as per the reports of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare as per Sunday.
According to Union Health Ministry data, numerically Maharashtra has more recovered cases than Kerala with 208 as opposed to 142, but it also has five times more cases than in Kerala.
Until March 26 Kerala had reported the highest number of positive cases followed by Maharashtra, but gradually the spurt shifted to other states which is also witnessing rapid growth in numbers. The Kerala health department officials said that the trajectory has somehow managed to hit the slope in the past week.
The Kerala government had been in high alert since the peak period, and the positive cases were mostly reported from travellers who had returned from the hotspot areas which is led to believe that the infection had been confined to only with those with travel history, or a very close family members. Although there is no sign of community spread, the officials are on high alert not discarding the possibility.
In Kerala, out of the 375 cases, 233 had travel history, seven were foreigners, 19 were attendees to the Tablighi Jamaat and the remaining are primary contacts of the affected. So far Kerala has a toll of two.
The major hotspots of Kerala state, Kasargod and Kannur which accounts to 63 percent of the total affected in the state reveal encouraging figures which shows Kannur with 36 discharged out of 71 cases and 61 discharged out of 166 cases in Kasargod which indicates 41 percent cured.
Special officer for COVID-19 control in Kasargod, Alkesh Kumar Sharma in his tweet said, "Kasargod is showing results due to effective lockdown, efficient public health and medical teams, cluster containment and smart isolation and quarantine strategies...and a proactive public support to defeat Covid".
Applauding the efforts of the Kerala government an official said, "A lot of factors contribute to the recovery of a COVID-19 patient. The age of the patient, the severity of symptoms, and the virus load are critical elements. All over the country, the treatment protocol suggested by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is followed diligently. We have to study the fast recovery scenario in Kerala."