Kerala reported 2,765 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday when 59,646 samples were tested in the past 24 hours. The State’s cumulative case burden, ever since the pandemic began, rose to 10,67,044 cases.

The test positivity rate remained below 5% for the third consecutive day at 4.65 % on Wednesday.

Of the 59,646 tests done, 32,660 were rapid antigen tests. However, despite engaging mobile RT-PCR labs to boost testing, the number of RT-PCR tests remained at 24,576. Other molecular diagnostic tests like Truenat and CBNAAT constituted the remaining.

The State’s active case pool has been dropping rapidly since last week, with it reporting a significantly higher number of recoveries than new cases on a daily basis. With 4,031 recoveries reported on Wednesday, the active caseload dropped further to 45,995. The cumulative recoveries reported by the State ever since the pandemic began now stands at 10,16,515.

On Wednesday, the addition of 15 new deaths that took place in the past few days to the official list of COVID fatalities took the cumulative toll till date to 4,241 deaths in the State.

Alappuzha and Ernakulam reported three deaths each, Kollam, Kottayam and Thrissur two each, while Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode and Malappuram reported one each.

The number of critically ill COVID patients in the State currently being treated in ICUs in various hospitals is 683 as on Wednesday, according to official reports, with 188 of them requiring ventilator assistance.

Among districts, Kozhikode reported the maximum number of new cases with 399 cases, Ernakulam 281, Malappuram 280, Thrissur 242, Kottayam 241, Kollam 236, Alappuzha 210, Pathanamthitta 206, Thiruvananthapuram 158, Kannur 128, Kasaragod 109, Palakkad 101, Idukki 91 and Wayanad 83 cases.

4 foreigners positive

Four persons who reached Kerala from the UK in the past 24 hours have tested positive for COVID-19.

With this, a total of 99 persons who reached the State from abroad since mid-December have tested positive. This includes 98 persons from the UK and one from South Africa. Official reports said that 82 of them have since tested negative.

So far, 11 persons, including one contact of a UK returnee, have tested positive for the virus variant B.1.1.7 in the State.