Only 16 Active COVID-19 Cases In Hospitals, Kerala Says "Curve Flattened"

Coronavirus: Kerala has reported 503 COVID-19 cases and four deaths so far (File)

Kerala has flattened the coronavirus curve 100 days after the first case was confirmed, state Finance Minister Thomas Isaac tweeted Saturday morning, a day after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the state had been successful in containing the virus in January, when the first case was reported, and during the second wave of infections in March.

In his tweet Mr Isaac also reiterated the Chief Minister's statement that with only 16 active cases in hospitals across the state, the government was bracing itself for a third wave of infections.

"It has been 100 days since the first COVID-19 case was reported in Kerala on January 30... We could contain the spread at that stage. The second phase started in (the first week of) March. Today, after two months, we have managed to flatten the curve," Chief Minister Vijayan said on Friday.

"Our recovery rate is comparable to the highest in the world. We are doing everything to avoid a third phase but we are prepared for any situation," he added, while also cautioning people to be "more careful in the coming days" given the expected return of thousands of Kerala residents stranded abroad.

On Thursday two special flights, operated by Air India, landed in Kerala's Kochi, repatriating 363 Indians who had been stuck in Abu Dhabi and Dubai after the nationwide lockdown and ban on flights.

"We expect responsible behaviour from the general public in this regard," the Chief Minister said.

Thomas Isaac's tweet came hours after Dr David Nabarro, the World Health Organisation's (WHO) special COVID-19 envoy, told NDTV that India's curve would likely only flatten by the end of July.

Kerala, which reported the first three novel coronavirus cases in India, has done well to contain the infectious virus and prevent its spread so far. The southern state has reported 503 COVID-19 cases, of which 484 were discharged after receiving treatment. Only four deaths have been recorded.

The significant statistic, however, is that the state saw just five new cases in the first week of this month; two were detected on May 2 and three on May 4.

In a line graph shared by Mr Isaac, the number of active COVID-19 cases is shown in yellow and the curve is shown to be plunging dramatically downwards from April 9.

Coronavirus: Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac tweeted this graph this morning

By contrast the curve representing people who have recovered from the virus (represented in green) soars equally dramatically upwards from the same date.

Kerala's efforts to battle the novel coronavirus include an extended 28-day quarantine period for suspected cases; nationwide this period is 14 days. Also, last month, inspired by COVID-19 efforts in South Korea, Kerala became the first state to use walk-in kiosks for mass collection of samples.

The state government's move came as other states faced challenges in ramping up existing health infrastructure to deal with mass testing demands.

Across the country the number of confirmed coronavirus cases is inching towards 60,000 with nearly 2,000 deaths linked to the virus. Health Ministry data this morning showed 3,320 new cases and 95 deaths in the past 24 hours.

A possible silver lining is the recovery rate - the number of people who have fought off the infection expressed as a percentage of the total number of cases - has been rising steadily nationwide. It is currently 29.91 per cent.

However, the centre has warned states against relaxing guidelines and letting their guard down, particularly as the nationwide lockdown is lifted in phases over the coming days.

With input from PTI