Even though the second wave of Covid has waned in India, the situation in Kerala seems grim, as the state has several times recorded over 30,000 fresh positive cases daily in the past few days. The test positivity rate (TPR) in Kerala has also risen, and in the last 24 hours, the TPR shot up to nearly 19 percent. Amid looming scare, a Covid death analysis report submitted before the review committee convened by chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has suggested that 1,795 deaths in the state have happened due to the delay in hospitalizations.
444 Covid deaths occurred at home
The report pointed out that 444 Covid-related deaths happened at home, while 127 were during the transit to the hospital. 691 deaths occurred on the first day of hospitalization, while 533 deaths happened within three days of hospitalization.
With 149 deaths, Thrissur district recorded the highest number of deaths at home, followed by Kollam (61), Palakkad (54), and Ernakulam (45). 315 deaths happened in Thrissur due to delay in hospitalization followed by Palakkad with 250 deaths.
The report also noted that hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and coronary artery disease are the three contributing factors that elevate the mortality rates among Covid patients. Out of the total Covid-related deaths that happened in Kerala, 26.57 percent had diabetes, while 26.29 percent had hypertension.
Details of high-risk districts in Kerala
The report cited that there are five high-risk districts in Kerala where the average test positivity rate is above 20 percent. Thrissur has the highest test positivity rate in Kerala (22.6 percent), followed by Malappuram (22.3 percent), Palakkad (21.7 percent), Kozhikode (21.4 percent), and Wayanad (21.3 percent).
The review meeting also noted that the number of fresh cases has risen dramatically in Kerala due to the Onam celebrations. They also added that the daily Covid cases in Kerala could even cross 40,000 in September.
