The third wave of the Covid pandemic is literally spreading like a wildfire in Kerala, as the state reported 22,946 cases and 18 deaths in the last 24 hours. It should be noted that the state, in early January had shown strong signs of flattening the Covid chaos curve, and this sudden surge in cases, driven by Delta and Omicron variants of the pandemic is literally bothering authorities and health experts.
Skyrocketing TPR in Kerala
In Kerala, the daily test positivity rate (TPR) is now at 33 percent, an all-time high. Around a month back, the daily TPR in Kerala was ranging somewhere between 4 to 7 percent, and this sudden rise indicates that the pandemic has become a perfect storm in Kerala with no end in near sight.
In Thiruvananthapuram, the state's capital, the number of Covid patients in the last 24 hours is more than 5,000, followed by Ernakulam and Kozhikkode. Eight districts in Kerala witnessed more than 1,000 fresh cases in the last 24 hours.
According to the latest updates, 1,21,458 people are currently undergoing treatment in Kerala. Out of the 22,946 people who tested positive in the last 24 hours, 144 are health workers.
Schools closed, clusters forming in colleges
In the wake of rising Covid cases in the state, the government has stopped the classes for students from 1 to 9th standards. Meanwhile, Covid clusters have formed in several colleges where offline classes are being conducted.
Due to the rising Covid cases, several colleges have now switched to a hybrid model of education, which is basically providing both offline and online classes for students. It is still unclear whether the government will close all the colleges in the state to break the chain of transmission.
