Experts review Kerala’s virus combat readiness

TRIVANDRUM: A six-member multidisciplinary federal team headed by National Centre of Disease Control (NCDC) director Dr Sujeet Kumar Singh started reviewing the pandemic situation in worst-hit Kerala districts Saturday.

The federal authorities deputed the experts as the COVID-19 cases and fatalities remain alarmingly high despite a prolonged lockdown that drew widespread criticism for its unscientific enforcement allowing overcrowding during brief relaxations.

Before geting down to business, Dr Sigh said they will hold a meeting with the state health officials on Monday ater visiting districts where the virus surge continues.

“The number of cases which are declining everywhere and Kerala is continuing the transmission. That’s a big concern for us,” he told reporters here.

“We’ll be here for two or three days and (the extension of the visit) depends on our discussions with the state. Let’s see ( what we can do).”

Currently, the relatively small state, which reported the country’s first case of infection on Jan.30 last year, accounts for 40 per cent of India’s active caseload and half its daily additions.

It reports more than 20,000 cases every day for almost a week now and the number of fatalities is also going up amid the rising complaints of under reporting or omissions.

Explaining the situation, the southern state’s health minister Veena George said the second wave of the virus that claimed many lives across the country is not yet over in Kerala.

A survey conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research in 70 select districts representing all states this month showed the lowest sero prevalence in Kerala.

It showed that while 67.6 per cent of India’s population have acquired antibodies against the virus through vaccination or geting infected, it’s 44.4 per cent in Kerala.

In other words, while the rest of India has acquired a herd immunity against the virus infection, half of the Kerala population remains vulnerable.

Also, a majority of people are voluntarily testing at the laboratories spread across the state, where the private sector meets more than 70 per cent of its hospital needs.

It also helps the state to claim “targeted testing,” though most of them are antigen assay with high chances of false negativity, unlike others who go for random surveys among susceptible sections of people.