The coronavirus pandemic is in retreat in India, with one major exception: Kerala. One in every five samples tested for Covid-19 in the sou...
The coronavirus pandemic is in retreat in India, with one major exception: Kerala. One in every five samples tested for Covid-19 in the southern state is turning out to be positive, a rise from one in eight samples until early August.
The state alone accounts for over 60% of daily fresh cases in India.
“This is an early warning signal,” said Dr Samiran Panda, head of epidemiology and communicable disease in the Indian Council of Medical Research. He pointed out that the pattern seen in Kerala – a drop in cases, followed by a temporary lull, and then a surge – indicates the third wave of the pandemic has begun in the state.
What explains the heavy caseload in Kerala?
Many have blamed the state government for creating a fertile ground for transmission by relaxing restrictions during the festival season. An uptick in cases began in July, when the number of new cases rose from about one lakh in the week before Bakri-Eid to 1.22 lakh new cases in the week after. A month later came Onam. From 1.34 lakh cases in a week leading to the festival, the case tally rose to 1.73 lakh in the week after.
However, other states too have witnessed large gatherings, and yet...
