THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said the more dangerous Delta variant of the coronavirus was more prevalent in the state during the outbreak of the second wave.
He also said that the threat of the second wave was far from over.
“We are now slowly recovering from the severity of the threat posed by the second wave of the Covid pandemic.
There has been a decline in the number of patients and the prevalence of the disease.
The overcrowding at hospitals is also declining.
The lockdown was effective in controlling the spread of the disease,” said the chief minister.
A carpenter selling furniture on the roadside in Thiruvananthapuram giving finishing touches to his work on FridayKerala has also been able to reduce the toll in a better way compared to other regions.
However, the situation is not yet conducive to full relaxation.
The average test positivity rate (TPR) for the last three days is 13.9%.
The aim is to get it below 10% at the earliest.
Restrictions will be firmly enforced in local bodies where there are more patients.
People should strictly follow the Covid protocol even inside homes.
We are going ahead with the hope that the Centre will provide the necessary vaccines.
Instructions have been given to exhaust the existing stock.
The staff of the ministers and the entire staff of the government secretariat will be vaccinated on priority.
The chief minister also stressed the need to maximise the gap between the second and the possible third wave in the state.
There will be a higher causality rate if the next wave suddenly hits and peaks.
Therefore, lockdown relaxations would be implemented cautiously and people should maintain the Covid norms even after the lockdown.
Measures to further strengthen the healthcare infrastructure will be vigorously pursued during this time.
He assured that extensive measures were being taken to prevent infection among children during the next wave.
All preparations are being done to face the third wave and the infrastructure of all hospitals is being enhanced.