Thiruvananthapuram, July 10:  Kerala Chief Minister, Shri Pinarayi Vijayan announced that both Covid testing and facilities to treat Covid patients would be ramped up in the State in view of the rising number of cases in the past few weeks. The CM also mentioned that there has been a drastic increase in the rate of spread in contact cases, from 6.1% on June 30 to 20.64% on July 09.

Addressing the media, the Chief Minister said, “The increasing number of contact cases in proportion to the total number of cases leads to a dangerous situation. We are increasing the testing with the possibility of more people in the community getting infected. Two Covid hospitals are being set up in each district for the treatment of critically ill patients. Covid Firstline Care Centres have been set up attached to Covid Hospital to treat the not so severely ill. Plans A, B and C have been prepared to ensure the treatment in collaboration with the private sector in case the number of patients increases exponentially.”

All major cities in India faced a situation where a cluster had first formed in a single location, followed by multiple clusters, and thus spreading to a larger area leading to a community spread. “A similar super spread situation is found here. If not taken care, the disease can spread faster than expected. In a small densely populated state like Kerala, it will not take long for it to spread all over. It is time to realize that we are facing a major disaster. Meanwhile, some forces are deliberately trying to sabotage our fight against Covid and push the society as a whole to a disaster”, the CM cautioned.

Large community cluster in three wards of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation

The Triple Lockdown has been implemented in Thiruvananthapuram and the restrictions have been strengthened. In the case study, five clusters were identified in the district. All these clusters are concentrated in Thiruvananthapuram city, in three wards of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation.

So far there have been two large community clusters in Kerala, the first was in Ponnani (in Malappuram District) and the second is in Thiruvananthapuram. Scientific cluster management strategies are being implemented in these places. A detailed examination will be done to determine whether clusters are formed within the containment zones and testing will be intensified for this. The cooperation of the people is essential in this effort and effective implementation of cluster management is necessary to avoid a community spread.

The CM has advised the public to be cautious about the malicious messages being circulated to instigate them. “Wrong propaganda is being spread to derail our efforts to contain the outbreak.”