Covid: Kerala reports 2,435 new cases, 22 deaths in last 24 hours

Kerala recorded 2,435 fresh coronavirus cases and 22 COVID-19 related deaths on Saturday, taking the caseload to 52,40,487 and the death toll to 48,035.

The health department said that along with today's deaths, 219 deaths were also designated as COVID-19 deaths after receiving appeals based on the new guidelines of the Centre and the directions of the Supreme Court.

"Currently, there are 18,904 active COVID-19 cases in the state of which only 10.7 per cent are admitted to hospitals," the health department said in a release.

Meanwhile, 2,704 recuperated from the disease today, taking the total cured to 51,81,981.

Among the districts, Thiruvananthapuram recorded the highest number of cases--481, followed by Ernakulam with 400 and Kozhikode with 299 cases.

The health department tested 48,658 samples in the last 24 hours and there are six wards across five local self government bodies in the state with a weekly infection population ratio above ten per cent.

There are 1,09,032 persons under observation in the state of which 15,842 are in isolation wards of various hospitals.

Of those who were found infected today, 38 reached the state from outside, while 2,241 contracted the disease through their contact. The source of infection of 134 is yet to be traced and 22 health workers are also among the infected.