West Bengal, Kerala record biggest single-day spike with fresh COVID-19 cases

Representational Image: ZeeNews

New Delhi: West Bengal and Kerala on Thursday (May 28) recorded the biggest single-day spike with fresh COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours. The Health Department, West Bengal, stated that the state witnessed 344 fresh coronavirus cases with the total numbers reaching at 4,536.

West Bengal has so far recorded 223  COVID-19 deaths including six new cases in the last 24 hours, while 90 patients were also discharged from hospitals. The state also tested 9256 samples in 24 hours with total tests done are 1,66,513

Notably, Kolkata remains the largest contributor to fresh cases and deaths in the state. 

Meanwhile, the southern state of Kerala also witnessed the biggest single-day spike, with 84 fresh COVID-19 cases on Thursday. The total infection tally reaches 1,088 in the state, while a man hailing from Telangana, who reached in Thiruvananthapuram from Rajasthan tested positive, succumbed to the virus. 

The deceased had boarded the Jaipur-Thiruvananthapuram special train on May 22 and along with his family reached Thiruvananthapuram without the requisite documents, said a PTI report.

On May 26, the state had reported the biggest single-day spike of 62, prompting Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to warn that the state risks sliding into community transmission and losing all its gains if people under observation fail to follow health guidelines.

The Kerala CM quoted as saying, "so far there has been no community spread in the state, but we cannot say it will never happen," adding that presently 526 people are undergoing treatment for the pandemic and 1.15 lakh are under observation.

Of the infected, Vijayan said, 31 had come from abroad and 48 from other states, including 31 from Maharashtra, nine from Tamil Nadu and three from Karnataka, while five people were infected through contact, three people have been cured of the infection and discharged from hospitals.

Notably, the state has 82 hot spots, including six new additions on Thursday. 

Kasaragod reported 18 positive cases, followed by Palakkad 16, Kannur 10, Malappuram eight, Thiruvananthapuram and Thrissur seven each, Kozhikode and Pathanamthitta six each, Kottayam three, Kollam, Idukki and Alappuzha one each, the report added.