Corona Blast in Kerala: Scary pace of infection in the state, which has received worldwide praise for Kovid management, more than 20 thousand new cases for the fourth consecutive day

Two months ago, Kerala government officials had confidently claimed that the corona virus had been brought under control in the state. On May 12, new cases reached the peak here. Then the infection was confirmed in 43,529 people in one day. Since then the cases started decreasing continuously. Officials again claimed that the second wave would be over in the next two-three weeks. The Kerala model has been praised across the world for its better handling of the second wave.

Now new figures show that more than half of the new cases in the country are being found in Kerala. On Wednesday, 43,132 cases were found in the country, out of which 22,056 were from Kerala. On Friday also, more than 20 thousand cases were found here. For the fourth consecutive day, the number of infected in the state has exceeded 20 thousand.

Vaccination average more than the country
The worsening situation from Corona is indicating that the claim of the end of the second wave was made in haste. Kerala, one of the better states in terms of medical facilities in India, is still battling infection. In June, an average of 8 thousand cases were being received here every day. Since then the graph of the case again started rising upwards.

In the state, 35% of the population has received the first dose and 16% has received both the doses. So far only 8% have received both the doses in the country. Despite this, why is infection increasing in Kerala? The answer is yet to be found. Famous virologist Gagandeep Kang believes that Kerala may be a victim of the success of keeping Corona under control.

In Kerala, 35% of the population has received the first dose of the corona vaccine and 16% have received both.

More cases due to more testing
It can be believed that there is no hesitation in detecting cases in the state, due to which more number of patients are being found. To this virologist Shahid Jameel says that the only answer I can see is that Kerala is doing very large scale tests and reporting them honestly. By doing this he is trying to keep the death rate low.

However, some experts say that further investigation is needed to see if there could be some other reason for the increase in cases. Elect Salfi Nuhu, president of the Kerala wing of the Indian Medical Association, says that if there is any other factor behind this, then we need to do more study. For this, if more genomic testing is done, then new variants of the virus can be detected.

If the infection spreads to other states, there is a risk of third wave
There is a fear that the infection from Kerala may spread to neighboring states or other parts of the country. This can become the reason for the arrival of a more dangerous third wave than before. It is a matter of concern that the infection is increasing in the last 4 weeks in 7 out of 14 districts of Kerala.

Because of this, the government has decided to implement a two-day lockdown in the state from the coming weekend. Experts are also saying that there may be a need to impose strict restrictions on movement in the coming times.

Despite effective war room, cases increased
The war room set up by the Kerala government has so far done a great job in the state. From here, along with collecting data on the beds of hospitals, monitoring of patients is also done. During the peak of Corona, it was successful in keeping the deaths at a low level. Even now the death rate in Kerala is low as compared to other states. The elderly constitute a large number of Kerala’s population. Also many people are suffering from diabetes and other diseases.

It is a matter of concern that Kerala’s population consists of a large number of elderly people. Many people are suffering from diabetes and other diseases.

Cases more in Kerala, but fewer deaths

The state is the best in deciding the case
ICMR’s sero survey has revealed that only one out of 33 cases have been detected at the national level in India. At the same time, Kerala has been able to detect one case out of 6. Maharashtra, where cases are declining rapidly, is believed to have detected one in 12 cases.

The Kerala government says that its cluster testing is more effective than in most parts of India. Cluster testing involves testing all those who have had contact with an infected.

Government slipped during elections and festivals
Like other parts of the country, there has been a lapse in dealing with Corona in Kerala. The state first relaxed the rules of social distancing for local and then assembly elections. People taking precautions suddenly started mingling during the state’s main festival Onam last year. Worryingly, Onam is still in August and officials are anticipating a spike in cases in the coming weeks.

Excellent second wave handling record
Yet so far the state has coped well with the situation. Officials say that even during the terrible second wave, there was never a shortage of beds in the general ward or ICU. Apart from this, Kerala got the benefit of its strong health system that it was full of oxygen.

There were reports of patients dying due to lack of oxygen in many parts of the country. The state government started making plans to deal with the pandemic soon after India’s first patient was found in January 2020.

The biggest blow to the economy from Corona
Initially the state’s efforts were so successful that it was praised all over the world. KK Shailaja, then the state’s health minister, made it to the list of the most influential women of the year in Vogue magazine. This situation changed when people from other parts of the country started returning to the state. State government officials had expected the first wave to end around December, but it did not happen.

The cases of corona are increasing only after the relaxation of movement in the state.

So the question is, what is the way forward?
One answer may be a longer lockdown, but the state government is avoiding this option, as the economy has already suffered its impact. There is no big industry in the state. And many families in Kerala depend on money coming from abroad. It has also come down due to Kovid. Many people have lost their jobs in the Gulf and have not been able to come back. Small shopkeepers have also suffered a setback.

Order to call only 50% staff in government offices
To control the corona, Kerala Chief Minister P. Vijayan recently announced that only 50% of government employees will be called to office. Along with this, micro containment zones have also been started. These are being seen as half-measures.

Experts believe that lockdown may be the only way to eliminate the virus and they should consider it. At least it should be implemented in Ernakulam, Mallapuram and Kozhikode with maximum infection. The positivity rate in Malappuram is 17%. It has increased to 13.61% in the state. The positivity rate in the capital Delhi, which has seen very bad times in the second wave, is just 0.08%.

Ask for 90 lakh more doses from the center
Kerala government officials say that vaccination is the only weapon to fight the virus. They are lobbying the Center for this. Between 18 and 24 July, 18 lakh people of the state were vaccinated. They are demanding 90 lakh more doses to keep up with the pace of this supply. There has been a shortage of vaccines in Kerala this week and it is waiting for a new consignment.