Thiruvananthapuram: Fifteen days have passed since the state government launched defensive measures aimed at reducing the Covid Test Positivity Rate (TPR) in the state below 10. But the health department has not been able to achieve this goal even for a single day.
TPR in the state is five times higher than the national average
The average TPR for the last one week is 10.41 per cent. The number of infected people is above ten thousand every day. These are the worst figures in India. The TPR is more than 10 in the state, while the national average stood at 2.42. Kerala also leads in the number of Covid patients reported every day.
No explanations from the Health Department
The Department of Health has not yet given an official explanation about where Kerala, which gained international recognition for its model in handling the covid cases in the first wave, has gone wrong. According to the Department of Health, the reason for the widespread Covid cases is that people are failing to comply with the Covid regulations. The Health Department is of the opinion that the only reason for increase in the covid test positivity rate is the public.
The restrictions in the state are divided into four categories namely A, B, C and D. Restrictions similar to triple lockdowns are imposed in the D category. Restrictions in accordance with the TPR are also being imposed in the category. Yet the question still remains as to how the health department can get away with saying that people are not following any of these regulations.
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High Covid Mortality rate in the state
Health Minister Veena George has not yet given a clear answer to questions about the high TPR. The minister only warned the people to be vigilant and follow covid regulations. Along with the increasing number of Covid cases, Covid deaths are also increasing in Kerala. More than 100 Covid fatalities are reported in the state every day.
There is also a criticism that the daily death rate has risen after a transparent system was put in place to report deaths. It is a matter of concern that the spread of the disease has not abated even in the last phase of the second wave, especially when the threat of a third wave is looming.
