Medical staff members of a government-run medical college collect swabs from people to test for coronavirus di…Read More
Kerala has been reporting fresh cases of the novel coronavirus in single digits for the past few days, a flattening of a deadly curve by measures that included early detection, aggressive testing and contact tracing, and a 28-day quarantine period — double that prescribed by the WHO. And underlying it all and making it possible was a robust public health system.
From one infection on January 30 to 378 on April 13 and two deaths so far, the state has seen 198 people recover. It recorded its highest cases in a day (39) on March 27, and the lowest on March 19 (1). On April 12, it was just two cases. It realised early on the potential lethality of a curve arcing sharply upward.
As early as January 18, the state health department issued a Covid-19 alert and began to screen passengers arriving from abroad, initially from