The surge in positive coronavirus cases has pushed the infection count to 1,699 in Kerala (File)
Kerala today, for the first time, recorded a 3-digit single-day spike in coronavirus cases with 111 new infections in the state. The surge in positive cases has pushed the infection count to 1,699 while 1.77 lakh people are under observation.
On May 8, Kerala had declared that it had flattened the coronavirus curve after reporting just one case and 16 people under treatment.
However, with more people coming to the state from abroad and other states, the state has seen a sudden spike in numbers of infection.
Expressing concern at the increasing graph of the virus infections, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said it had nearly doubled since June 1 when 57 positive cases were detected in the state after which there has been a steady climb - with 86 cases on June 2, 82 on June 3 and 94 on June 4. He described the COVID-19 situation in the state as grim.
Twenty-two people have recovered from the infection and 973 people are presently under treatment, Mr Vijayan told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram. Three health workers are among those who tested positive, he said.
Of those who have tested positive for coronavirus, 50 people had come from abroad and 48 from other states, including Maharashtra (25), Tamil Nadu (10), Karnataka (3) and Delhi (4).
Giving a break-up of the cases, Mr Vijayan said Palakkad has reported the highest number of cases (40), followed by Malappuram (18), Pathnamthitta (11), Ernakulam (10), Thrissur (8), Thiruvananthapuram (5), Alappuzha (5), Kozhikode (4), Idukki and Wayanad (3 each), Kollam (2), Kottayam and Kasaragod one each.
Of the 1.77 lakh people under observation, 1,545 are in hospitals, including 247 who were admitted today while the rest are in home or institutional quarantine facilities.