36-year-old-man dies of COVID-19 in Kerala, toll now 9

Thiruvananthapuram: A 36-year-old man, who returned from the UAE, has succumbed to the coronavirus infection at the Alappuzha medical college hospital, taking the total COVID-19 fatalities in the state to nine, official sources said on Saturday.

“The man was under quarantine after he returned to the state from Abu Dhabi on May27.He did not have symptoms of COVID-19, but had liver ailment and vomittedblood before he passed away by noon on Friday.

His samples were taken and sent for testing and he was found positive,” the sources said.

Another Gulf returnee, a 62-year-old-man, who was in quarantine, died at a hospital in Thalassery today. His sample, which was tested, was found negative for the infection, Kannur district medical sources said.

On Friday, 62 people, including a health worker, two cabin crew of Air India Express and two prisoners, had tested postivefor the virus,taking the total tally of infections in the stateto 1150.

Of the infected, 33 people had come from various countries while 23 had come from other states, including Tamil Nadu and Maharastra-10 each, Karnataka, Delhi and Punjabone each while one person was infected through contact, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters yesterday.

The Test Positive Rate (TFR) in Kerala is 1.7 percent as compared to the 5 per cent TFR in the country, while the Case Fatality Rate (CFR) is 0.5 percent, Vijayan said, adding the state”s improved public health system, efficient contact tracing and scientific quarantine were the keys to this achievement.

According to him,Kerala has conducted 80,091 tests in total.

“Our numbers are high. Our count is 2,335 tests per 10 lakh people. We have one positive case for every 71 tests while the national average is one for every 23 tests. This means we are conducting thrice the number of tests of the national average,” he said.