COVID-19 vaccine will be provided free in Kerala: Pinarayi Vijayan

Meanwhile, the number of confirmed cases in the country has jumped to 97,96,769 and as many as 1,42,186 people have lost their lives to this condition.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan making his appearance after a short break on Saturday said that the Covid-19 vaccine will be provided free in the state.

The decision came after the state recorded 5,949 new COVID-19 cases and 32 deaths on Saturday, taking the tally to 6.64 lakh and the toll to 2,594.

COVID vaccine will be provided free of cost in the state: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan pic.twitter.com/MTQ2FyjEcp ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2020

The day also saw 5,268 people getting cured as the total recoveries rose to 6, 01,861 while the active cases stood at 60,029, Pinarayi Vijayan told the reporters in Kannur.

The total COVID-19 cases in the state touched 6,64,632. Vijayan urged people to exercise extreme caution against the spread of the disease, saying otherwise the situation in the state would worsen further.

A total of 59,690 samples were tested in the last 24 hours and the test positivity rate was 9.97 per cent. So far, 69,21,597 samples have been sent for testing.

In all 32 recent deaths have been confirmed due to covid, taking the toll to 2,594, the Chief Minister said.

Of the latest positive cases, as many as 47 were health workers, 83 had come from outside the state, 5,173 infected through contact, and the source of infection of 646 people was not known.

A total of 3,15,167 people were under observation in various districts with 13,334 of them in hospitals.

Malappuram recorded the highest number of cases at 765, followed by Kozhikode 763 and Ernakulam 732.

Kasaragod accounted for the lowest number of 60 cases on Saturday. There are 437 hotspots in the state with the addition of Manarkkad in Palakkad and the removal of four localities.

As coronavirus cases continue to rise in many parts of the country, the Centre has issued a fresh set of guidelines which comes into effect from December 1 and remains in force till December 31. The Centre has allowed states and union territories to impose local restrictions in the containment zones. It has also given the freedom to the state governments to take administrative action against people not following the basic Covid safety measures.

Meanwhile, the number of confirmed cases in the country has jumped to 97,96,769 and as many as 1,42,186 people have lost their lives to this condition, according to data on the Union Health Ministry website. Globally, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has reached 67,780,361 including 1,551,214 deaths, reports the World Health Organization (WHO).

(With inputs from Agencies)