Big relief: Kerala sees significant slump in reinfection cases

There has been a significant slump in reinfections in Kerala, said a government report presented in a review meeting chaired by the Kerala Chief Minister Pinayari Vijayan.

The total tally of people who got reinfected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19, was 4,631. Out of this number, 2,097 got reinfected last year, and another 2,534 contracted the virus for the second time this year, said Manorama Online quoting the report.

The report by Kerala state’s Department of Health also added that though the number of COVID-19 cases had spiked in Kerala with the cases skyrocketing from 5.38 lakh in 2020 to 40.33 lakh cases this year, reinfection decreased six-fold.

The districts which recorded the highest numbers of reinfected cases were Malapurram, Kasaragod and Pathanamthitta districts. Most of the people were in the 20-30 age group.

The delay in vaccinations and increased contacts with virus carriers were the reasons provided for people getting reinfected after 100-150 days of getting COVID the first time.

Meanwhile, the report stated that the R-factor of COVID-19, which captures the ability of the virus to spread from one person to another had dropped to 0.94. Even as this meant that the virus spread was decreasing in the state, the R-factor in three districts, Kottayam, Idukki and Ernakulam however remained above 1.

Also read: 90% of COVID deaths in Kerala were of unvaccinated people

On the status of vaccination in the state, the report stated that 27.6 per cent had received the first shot, while 7.9 per cent had been given both shots. 99 per cent of the population above 60 years had received the first dose, while the second dose was given to 67 per cent of people in this age group.

In the 45 age group, 96 per cent has been vaccinated with the first dose, while 58 per cent had both shots.

And the report added that the state had carried out more rapid antigen tests than RT-PCR tests and out of Kerala’s 45.95 lakh COVID cases, 27.49 lakh cases were found in antigen tests.

The number of people in Kerala who had succumbed to COVID-19 was 24,603, said the government statistics. Out of the dead, 57.6 per cent was not vaccinated.

Meanwhile, the education minister, V Sivankutty said that a discussion is being held with transport ministers to ensure hassle-free travel for children to schools. Even as schools in Kerala are scheduled to open on November 1, he urged parent-teacher associations to buy new school buses. The government-run KSRTC will operate students’ only buses, he said.