Kerala Chief Minister on Saturday said that Kerala has always followed a COVID-19 defense strategy tailored to its specific needs and concerns and the state plans to vaccinate at least 60-70 per cent persons in the age group of 18+ with herd immunity. is to be obtained. In the ‘next few months’.
The state will increase the number of jabs from 2.5 to three lakhs per day to achieve its target. Currently, 43 per cent of people aged 18+ have received their first dose while at least 12 per cent have been given the second dose, Vijayan said.
delta version challenge
From the very beginning, the state’s strategy had tried to isolate itself from others in that it did not want to build up herd immunity by allowing the disease to spread to any segment or part of the population as this would result in unnecessary There will be cases and deaths. This has ensured that the death rate is maintained to a level which is the lowest in the country so far. But the low seroprevalence of 11.4 per cent assessed by the ICMR had left a large section of the population vulnerable, which proved as costly as the delta version.
The delta variant spread very rapidly in the state due to its increased virulence and also given the high population density and the lack of any major rural-urban divide. Villages merge into cities and towns almost seamlessly, allowing the delta version of the vast and open corridor to transmit at twice the speed.
‘Break-through’ transition
Since the delta variant is capable of compromising the immunity of those who have either had a previous infection or acquired it later, many of them have contracted a mild re-infection or may later be referred to as a ‘break-infection’. through’ infection. Now most of the active cases belong to this category. But the comforting factor in this case is that the severity of the disease decreases with an even lower mortality rate. The vaccination campaign has been the fastest running campaign in the country with the least amount of wastage.
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The Chief Minister said that at no stage in the first or second wave, hospitals in the state have witnessed overcrowding of more than 70 per cent of the capacity. More than 90 percent patients were given free treatment in government hospitals.
‘Zika no cause for alarm’
With regard to Zika virus, of which 14 cases of infection have been confirmed, the Chief Minister said this was not entirely unexpected, given the known high concentration of Aedes mosquitoes. Vector control measures are being strengthened and intensified in the State. There is no cause for danger here as patients can recover within a few days, although it is believed that the virus is harmful to pregnant women.
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