Kerala logs 50,812 new Covid cases, active tally crosses 336,000

Kerala logged 50,812 new infections and eight COVID-19-related deaths on Saturday, taking the infection count to 59,31,945 and the death toll to 53,191.

According to the health department, 47,649 persons recuperated from the disease, pushing the number of total cured to 55,41,834.

The state has tested 1,10,970 samples in the last 24 hours and there are 3,36,202 active COVID-19 cases in the state, the department said.

Yesterday, the state reported 54,537 COVID-19 cases whereas it was 51,739 on Thursday. On January 25, Kerala had registered 55,475 cases, the highest ever single day spike in the infection since the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020.

Among the districts, Ernakulam recorded the highest number of cases on Saturday--11,103, followed by Thiruvananthapuram with 6,647 and Kozhikode 4,490.

Among the latest fatalities, eight were reported in the last 24 hours, 94 were recorded over the last few days, while 311 were 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 3,36,202 active COVID-10 cases in Kerala out of which only 3.4 per cent are admitted to hospitals," the department said in a release.

Out of those who were found infected on Saturday, 208 reached the state from outside while 46,451 contracted the disease through their contact. The source of infection of 3,751 is yet to be traced and 402 health workers are also among the infected.

There are 4,98,406 persons under observation out of which 11,658 are in isolation wards of various hospitals across the state.