Few new Covid-19 cases and more recoveries in Kerala, experts see light at the end of the tunnel

india

Updated: Apr 10, 2020 21:01 IST

Kerala reported seven fresh coronavirus cases on Friday, taking the total number of Covid-19 infected in the state to 364, said state health minister K K Shailaja. In a positive development, 19 people were discharged from hospitals in the state, taking the total number of persons cured of the disease to 124. Maximum people were discharged from north Kerala’s Kasaragod, a hotspot in the state.

Among the seven fresh cases, two are Nizamuddin-returned Tablighi Jamaat members, both from Malappuram. 17 of the 212 Jamaat members found to have attended the Delhi event have tested positive. A total of 1,29,751 people are under observation in the state including 1,29,021 in their homes and 730 in different hospitals.

Kerala was the first state to report a case of Sars-Cov 2 virus in the country on Jan 30 when a China-returned medical student was diagnosed positive for the disease.

The state has the twin distinctions of highest recovery and lowest mortality rate in the country so far. A total of 124 people have recovered from the disease while only two deaths have been reported till now from the 364 positive cases, a mortality rate of less than one per cent.

A 93-year-old man from Pathanamthitta and his 84-year-old wife are among those who recovered and their recovery has been cited as a medical success story.

Health experts claim that the state’s early exposure, lessons from the nipah outbreak of 2018 (considered to be a more dangerous virus with 80 per cent mortality rate), robust health system and its preparedness has helped it to contain the mortality rate.

“It seems our vigil and surveillance started paying some dividends. For the last few days, the number of positive cases came down drastically. If things go like this we can flatten the curve soon,” said the minister.

As on Friday evening, the national tally of positive coronavirus cases stood at 6761 including 206 deaths.