A medical staff takes a break from collecting Covid-19 test samples.
Credit: DH Photo/Pushkar V
Thiruvananthapuram: Covid surge in Kerala continues further with the number of active cases going up to 2,341 on Thursday and three more deaths being reported.
Even as 88 percent of the Covid active cases in the country is now in Kerala, the state government is yet to come out with any steps to contain the spread.
The reason cited is that the virulence is very low and the infected being reported in the state were showing only mild infection.
Many other states like Karnataka had already made masks mandatory for senior citizens. But in Kerala, the health department only asked hospital staff and those visiting hospitals and those with comorbidity factors to wear masks.
According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 300 more fresh Covid cases were reported from Kerala on Thursday, while it was 292 on Wednesday.
With three more deaths, the total deaths in Kerala after the fresh Covid surge reached around 15.
The ongoing mass outreach programme of the CPM government is alleged to be a reason why the Kerala government is not prescribing any precautions against Covid surge even as public health experts associated with the government suggested the need for advising people to wear masks.
The nearly two month long mass outreach programme, 'Nava Kerala Sadas', led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is ending on Saturday.
Health experts had also expressed concerns that the ongoing agitations in Kerala as well as ongoing Sabarimala pilgrimage will aggravate the risks of Covid spread in Kerala, especially since the new variant is considered to be fast spreading.