The state on Thursday reported 2,423 fresh cases of COVID-19, even as the government called for more precautions and increased surveillance against the Omicron version of the coronavirus.
Ernakulam with 455 cases, Thiruvananthapuram with 416 and Kozhikode with 266 topped the list of districts reporting new cases. 58,459 samples were analyzed in the last 24 hours.
Apart from the 15 deaths due to the pandemic, the state also added 149 deaths as per the Supreme Court guidelines, taking the death toll to 47,441.
The active caseload registered a slight drop to 19,835 cases. According to the health department, a total of 1,10,680 persons were under observation, out of which 1,07,074 were under home/institutional quarantine and 3,606 were under observation in hospitals.
Of the fresh cases reported on Thursday, 27 had come from outside the state and 2,262 were infected through contacts. There were at least 1,291 cases of successful infection among fully vaccinated individuals and 161 had received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Highlighting the danger posed by Omicron, Health Minister Veena George said the state has a large elderly population and people with co-morbidities that could lead to an increase in hospitalizations and deaths.
“Although vaccination is an important element in the fight against Omicron, the number of breakthrough infections and re-infection poses a risk. In this context, it is important to strictly follow the COVID-19 protocols,” she said. said in a press note issued here.