Kerala on Saturday recorded 7834 cases of Covid – 19 taking the total number of cases so far to 2,21,333 even as 4476 persons recovered from disease during the last 24 hours.
Of the total cases 1,39,620 patients have recovered and 80,818 are under treatment in various hospitals across the state. Of the fresh cases 6850 contracted the infection through contact, the source of infection among 648 is yet to be known, 95 health care workers got infected, 49 came from abroad while 187 from other states. The state also reported 22 more deaths taking the official death toll to 813.
Thiruvananthapuram recorded the highest number of cases at 1049, followed by Malappuram 973, Kozhikode 941, Ernakulam 925, Thrissur 778, Alappuzha 633, Kollam 534 and Palakkad 496.
Of the 2.51 lakh persons under observation 2.20 lakh are under home/institutional quarantine and 31,068 in various hospitals.
Earlier in the day chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said stringent measures including severe restrictions would be imposed in the state in the wake of huge spike in Covid - 19 cases. The fine for not wearing masks will be hiked up and cases will be registered against those who violate the safety protocol, he said.
From now on shoppers will have to wear gloves while shopping and all these safety measures need to be ensured by the shopkeepers. The government will deal sternly with those not wearing masks, using sanitizers’ and maintaining social distancing norms.
The state cannot afford any laxity on the part of people at this stage when the cases were increasing alarmingly by the day.
Meanwhile, a doctor and two nursing staff who were in-charge of Covid Care ward in Thiruvananthapuram medical college were suspended following the incident in which a senior citizen was found lying with maggots wriggling over his wounds.
The director of medical education, after a preliminary inquiry, recommended action against those responsible for their utter callousness and neglect of patient.
The disciplinary action was taken on the basis of the report.
The suspension has evoked sharp reaction from the doctors and nurses associations. The doctors and nurses owing allegiance to Kerala Government Medical College Teachers Association and Nursing Association respectively, held a demonstration to protest against the suspension. They urged the government to revoke the order win 48 hours. The doctors at the medical college also stayed away from duty for two hours from 8 am to 10 am in protest.
