Kerala has logged nearly 20,000 COVID-19 cases so far (File)
Kerala reported 702 new COVID-19 cases in the previous 24 hours, nearly 100 more than Delhi reported in the same period, comparative data from the two regions showed Tuesday evening.
The decrease in the number of cases recorded per day in the national capital is significant, given it is the third worst-affected region in the country - with 1.31 lakh cases overall - and frequently reported over 1,000 new cases per day in recent weeks.
The increase of 613 new cases in Delhi in the past 24 hours was its lowest daily increase in two months. However, the decline also coincided with fewer tests. According to Monday's health bulletin, 11,506 tests were conducted - the second lowest in July.
Equally, the steady increase of coronavirus cases in Kerala is worrying for a state seen by many as having been largely successful in containing the virus.
On March 31 the state had 234 cases - the most in the country with Maharashtra second on 217 - but, by April 22, that number had dropped to 428 compared to Maharashtra's 5,242.
More worrying is the fact that the source of infection for 35 of the cases reported on Monday is unknown.
On Sunday, when the state reported 927 new cases, the source of infection for 67 was also listed as unknown. On Saturday the state recorded its biggest single-day spike so far with 1,103 new cases, of which the source of infection for 72 patients was unknown.
Similar percentage for Delhi - number of infections with unknown sources - was around 50 per cent as of early June, according to Health Minister Satyendra Jain.
As of July 27, cases are likely to double every 13 days in Kerala, as opposed to 24 days on July 1. The state has 19,127 COVID-19 cases so far, of which over 9,700 are active cases and 61 are deaths.
By contrast Delhi's 1.31 lakh cases include fewer than 12,000 active cases and the doubling rate in the city is over 30 days at last count. The number of dead is much larger though, with over 3,800 reported.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who had come under heavy criticism for the spike in coronavirus cases in the city, lauded the capital's COVID-19 model today.
"Due to the hard-work and mindfulness of two crore people in Delhi, the situation is now improving. Today, the Delhi Covid model is being discussed across the country and the world," he said.
Across India the number of COVID-19 cases crossed 14 lakh today, as the number of infections reported per day threatens to touch 50,000. Worldwide, over 1.62 crore people have contracted the virus so far and over 6.48 lakh have died.
With input from PTI