Kerala reports 435 new Covid-19 cases, tally rises to 7,873

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala on Sunday reported more than 400 positive coronavirus cases for the third consecutive day, taking the tally of infections in the state to 7,873.
State health minister KK Shailaja said 435 fresh cases were reported with Palakkad (59) topping the list.
The state also reported two Covid-19 deaths after the test results of 63-year old Thrissur native who passed away on July 5 and a 52-man from Alappuzha who passed away on July 7, came positive on Sunday.
The state has reported 31 deaths so far.
"Alappuzha district has 57 cases while Kasaragod has 56 cases. Ernakulam reported 50 cases and Malappuram and Thiruvananthapuram reported 42 and 40 cases respectively," Shailaja said in a release.
Out of the 435 new cases, 128 had returned from abroad, 87 came from other states while 206 people contracted the disease through contact.
At least 10 health workers and two jawans from Defence Security Corps (DSC) and CISF were also among the infected.
However, 132 people were declared negative of coronavirus on Sunday, taking the total number of those cured to 4,097.
"As of now, 3,743 people are under treatment in the state. At least 1,81,784 people are under observation in the state out of which 3,990 are in isolation wards at various hospitals across the state," Minister said.
The health department has tested at least 13,478 samples in the last 24 hours, the release said.
The government has declared 30 regions in the state as hotspots taking the total number to 222.
Meanwhile, the government has decided to implement triple lockdown in containment zones along the coastal areas in the state from July 13 till July 23.
"The families in the containment zones will be provided five kg rice free of cost. The essential shops in these areas can function from 10 am to 6 pm. There is a travel ban from 7 pm to 5 am unless it's an emergency," the release said.
As per the latest medical bulletin, the state capital has 548 Covid-19 patients, the highest in the state, followed by Malappuram district with 521 and Alappuzha district (372).