Covid-19: Kerala, Maharashtra states playing vital role to fresh nationwide surge

India's Covid-19 tally saw a major upward trend on Thursday with Kerala making the single-largest addition, followed by Maharashtra. The unrelenting surges have the administration deeply worried even as the pandemic situation seemed to have improved considerably in most other states and Union territories.

Of the nationwide total of 46,164 new infections, Kerala's contribution was 31,445 and Maharashtra's 5,031. This corresponded to 3,33,725 active cases in India, 1,70,292 in Kerala and 50,183 in Maharashtra.

While Kerala has been witnessing an alarming rise in fresh infections ever since Onam festivities, Maharashtra's tally crossed the 5,000-mark after five days. Among other states where active cases continued to remain high are Karnataka (19,318), Tamil Nadu (20,370) and Andhra Pradesh (14,601). However, none of these states saw a major spike in fresh infections -- Karnataka (1,224), Tamil Nadu (1,573) and Andhra (1,601).

Kerala alone has about 70 per cent of the total cases registered across the country on Wednesday. It reported 31,455 new cases with a test positivity rate (TPR) of 19.03 per cent, the highest caseload and TPR in three months, according to its state health department. Its death toll is also on the rise with 215 patients losing their lives to the disease on Wednesday taking the overall tally to 19,972. Experts had warned against an easing of curbs ahead of Onam and the latest statistics have proved their concerns were justified.

In Maharashtra, coronavirus cases breached the 5,000 mark after a gap of five days, with the state recording 5,031 fresh cases and 216 infection-related deaths. Health officials said people were gradually giving up Covid-appropriate behaviour and if the current trend continued, a third wave of the pandemic was not far behind.