With 38 fresh cases in Kasargod, Kerala's infection tally inching towards 20,000 mark

Thiruvananthapuram: At least 43 health workers were among the 702 people who tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday in Kerala while 745 others recovered, as the state’s total infection tally touched 19,727. The death toll climbed to 63 with two more fatalities reported today from Kozhikode and Kottayam districts.

As many as 9611 people are presently under treatment, 10,054 patients have recovered and over 1.55 lakh people are under observation, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters here.

Of the positive cases, 483 were infected through contact while the source of infection of 35 people is not yet known. Seventy-five people had come from abroad and 91 from other states.

The district-wise breakup of cases: Thiruvananthapuram 161, Malappuram 86, Idukki 70, Kozhikode 68, Kottayam 59, Palakkad 41, Thrissur 40, Kannur and Kasaragod 38 each, Alappuzha 30, Kollam 22, Pathanamthitta and Wayanad 17 each and Ernakulam15.

In the last 24 hours, over 18,417 samples have been sent for testing, the Chief Minister said. As many as 1,55,147 people are under observation, 9,397 in hospitals, including 1,237 admitted today. So far, 3,54,480 samples have been sent for testing and results of 3,842 samples are awaited. There are 496 hot spots in the state, as of Monday.