Vested Interests Attempting to Spread Panic About Covid in Kerala, Says Health Minister

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 18: Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Monday refuted claims of a Covid outbreak in the state, dismissing them as efforts by “vested interests” to create panic.

“Some vested interests are trying to spread panic about the spread of Covid. The fact of the matter is that authorities are constantly monitoring the situation, and all measures are in place. Since November, samples have been promptly sent for testing,” she said.

“Last month, among the samples sent for testing, one sample from a 79-year-old man in the capital district tested positive for the JN1 variant. He was under home isolation, has recovered, and is fine,” George added.

“Interestingly, last month Singapore identified 15 people who traveled from India as positive for JN1. This indicates that this variant is present in other states, but in Kerala, due to our protocols, we were able to identify it. All our systems are in place, and from December 13 to 16, a drill was conducted in 1,192 hospitals across the state to assess the availability of facilities. At the moment, we have kept 1,957 beds, 2,454 ICU beds, and 937 ventilator beds. Hence, there is no need to worry,” the minister said.

The Congress-led opposition criticized the Pinarayi Vijayan government for being preoccupied with their state-wide yatra and not taking action. According to figures released by the Centre on Sunday, of the total 1,828 active cases in the country, 1,634 cases are in Kerala.

On Sunday, Kerala recorded 111 fresh cases out of the 122 in the country. More importantly, one Covid death was also reported in the state.