BJP leader Rajasekharan reproves Kerala govt for failing to contain COVID-19 spread

Senior BJP leader Kummanam Rajasekharan, on Monday, slammed the Kerala government for the rise in COVID-19 cases in the state. Rajashekharan accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of being a mere spectator to the crisis and said that the state administration was ignoring the interests of the people. Kerala is presently accounting for more than half of the country's daily COVID-19 cases.

News agency ANI quoted Rajasekharan as saying, "They have not taken any action to prevent the COVID pandemic. In this period, the government is standing like a spectator. It's a very pathetic condition. The government is not rising to the level".

The BJP leader added that at a time the Central government is providing so much assistance and financial aid, the state government is failing to protect the interest or lives of the people who are suffering from COVID. 

"That's the problem here. At the same time, other states are taking very strict action, measures and they have successfully prevented the pandemic there," he said, adding, "But in Kerala, daily one per cent or two per cent increase in COVID cases. So it's the failure of the state government and it should apologize before the public and also they should inform the people that the government is unable to act to prevent this pandemic." 

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare recorded 38,948 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 33,027,621. Kerala has reported 26,701 new cases in the last 24 hours, out of a total of 38,948 new cases. For the past 71 days, there have been less than 50,000 daily cases reported in India.

Kerala on high alert

Kerala is now at a high alert due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases. To add o the state's troubles, which recorded a Zika virus scare a few weeks ago, it is concerned about a potential Nipah virus outbreak. A central team visited Kerala's Kozhikode district on Sunday, where a 12-year-old child died from the Nipah virus. 

Nipah virus kills minor 

Nipah virus symptoms were identified in six people who came into touch with the 12-year-old kid who died. Kerala now has 63 more on the contact list, taking the total to 251. Thirty-two of the high-risk cases have been shifted to the Kozhikode Medical College in the state. 

People who came in contact with the deceased boy had earlier been identified, with 20 of them classified as high-risk. State Health Minister Veena George informed on Monday that samples from seven of the child's 20 high-risk contacts have been forwarded to the Pune NIV for testing. She predicted that the number of contacts would rise because the parents had taken the child to a clinic first, then to a private hospital, then to the medical college, and finally to another private hospital, where he passed away. 

Kerala looks for infection source  

Following the discovery of the youngster sick with the Nipah virus, the Chathamangalam Panchayat and surrounding regions have been entirely closed off. A three km radius around the boy's house has been designated as a containment zone. In order to pinpoint the source of infection, researchers collected samples of Rambutan fruits from the surrounding area.

The sample could help researchers figure out where the virus came from and whether it was spread by bats. According to the World Health Organization, the Nipah Virus is spread by fruit bats and can be fatal to humans and animals. The researchers also spoke with the deceased child's family and close friends to find out what he ate and what animals he might have encountered.

With inputs from ANI and PTI, Image: Facebook/Kummanam Rajasekharan/PTI/Pixabay)