The unrelenting high coronavirus caseload in India’s southern Kerala state is hampering the country's recovery from the pandemic as infection rates elsewhere in the world’s second most populous nation fall significantly.
Nationwide coronavirus cases have dropped over ten times from the peak during the brutal second wave in April and May, that left nearly 250,000 dead and more than 22 million infected as the country’s healthcare system failed to cope with the surge.
But the coastal state of nearly 35 million residents is “simmering” with fresh infections driven by the delta variant of Covid-19, with it accounting for nearly two thirds of the nation’s daily Covid-19 infections.
The Indian health ministry said 26,115 fresh infections were confirmed on Monday, with 16,700 of those in Kerala, where the daily positive test rate continues to hover around 18 per cent.
Some 252 deaths were also reported, nearly half of them in the state, where 4.4 million infection cases and 23,591 deaths have been confirmed since the pandemic began last year.
Experts say the infection spell is mostly due to a large portion of the state’s population remaining unexposed to the delta variant when other parts of the vast country were reeling from the pandemic.
“Kerala has a higher proportion of the vulnerable population that is not yet exposed to the virus compared to the rest of the country,” Rijo John, a health economist from the state, told The National.
“While the second wave surge and its decline were faster and it collapsed the healthcare infrastructure in much of India, it simmered for a longer time in Kerala,” he said.
India has confirmed 33 million cases and more than 450,000 deaths since the country was hit by the pandemic.
It reported its first case of Covid-19 in Kerala on January 30 last year, after a student returning from Wuhan in China was found to be infected with the virus. By September, the country was engulfed by the first wave of the pandemic.
On average about 100,000 infection cases were reported on a daily basis during the first wave, but Kerala was hailed globally for handling the pandemic through testing, contact tracing, maintaining social distancing and mask wearing.
But a year later, Kerala has become India’s “pandemic capital”, with cases climbing since April 2021, when local elections were held in the state.
The situation further deteriorated after Onam, the August harvest festival, when the locals defied social distancing measures and gathered in huge numbers to celebrate.
It is shocking how things have changed in one year. I feel the government’s decisions like lockdown or restrictions came very late and ended up having no use
Vishnu Prakash,
academic from Kochi city
Serologic surveys conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research in July that detect the presence of Covid-19 antibodies in blood found a 44 per cent rate in Kerala, compared with 68 per cent nationwide.
Factors such as high population density, less rural-urban divide and a large mobile population in the state are contributing to the surge, along with a stretched healthcare force, experts say.
Kerala is India’s most literate state with the highest life expectancy. It also invests the most in healthcare.
Its healthcare system did not crumble under pressure during the start of the pandemic, unlike the capital Delhi or Mumbai, and there has been no shortage of hospital beds, oxygen cylinders or intensive care facilities.
The death rate also remains the lowest, at 0.5 per cent, compared with a national average of 1.3 per cent.
But unlike last year when the state was able to track and treat each infected person, this year it is struggling to contain the spread while also running a vaccination programme.
Nearly 89 per cent of the state’s population has received a first vaccine dose, with restrictions being imposed on public movement in places where infection rates are high.
“There is no worry. We have imposed micro-containment in affected places … social distancing, mask and other guidelines are being followed. We have strong infrastructure and personnel to manage the situation,” Dr Rajesh VR, Kerala's Director of Health Services, told The National.
“The vaccination [programme] is going on in a steady manner, even on the holidays. Patients are being treated for free,” Dr Rajesh added.
But locals have expressed dismay over the government’s handling of the crisis.
“It is shocking how things have changed in one year. I feel the government’s decisions like lockdown or restrictions came very late and ended up having no use,” said Vishnu Prakash, 30, an academic from Kochi city.
Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, vice chairman of Kerala's doctors’ association, said a combination of factors was driving the “slow burn process” in Kerala.
He said although the state remains “fertile ground” for the delta variant to percolate, it has so far effectively handled the surge, that is seeing a downwards trend in recent days.
“The good thing was that we have so far prevented the pandemic from turning into an inferno,” Dr Jayadevan told The National.
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8
Power: 503hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 685Nm at 2,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Price: from Dh850,000
On sale: now
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
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Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Day 1, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Dimuth Karunaratne had batted with plenty of pluck, and no little skill, in getting to within seven runs of a first-day century. Then, while he ran what he thought was a comfortable single to mid-on, his batting partner Dinesh Chandimal opted to stay at home. The opener was run out by the length of the pitch.
Stat of the day - 1 One six was hit on Day 1. The boundary was only breached 18 times in total over the course of the 90 overs. When it did arrive, the lone six was a thing of beauty, as Niroshan Dickwella effortlessly clipped Mohammed Amir over the square-leg boundary.
The verdict Three wickets down at lunch, on a featherbed wicket having won the toss, and Sri Lanka’s fragile confidence must have been waning. Then Karunaratne and Chandimal's alliance of precisely 100 gave them a foothold in the match. Dickwella’s free-spirited strokeplay meant the Sri Lankans were handily placed at 227 for four at the close.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Usain Bolt's time for the 100m at major championships
2008 Beijing Olympics 9.69 seconds
2009 Berlin World Championships 9.58
2011 Daegu World Championships Disqualified
2012 London Olympics 9.63
2013 Moscow World Championships 9.77
2015 Beijing World Championships 9.79
2016 Rio Olympics 9.81
2017 London World Championships 9.95
JAPAN SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Masaaki Higashiguchi, Shuichi Gonda, Daniel Schmidt
Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo, Tomoaki Makino, Maya Yoshida, Sho Sasaki, Hiroki Sakai, Sei Muroya, Genta Miura, Takehiro Tomiyasu
Midfielders: Toshihiro Aoyama, Genki Haraguchi, Gaku Shibasaki, Wataru Endo, Junya Ito, Shoya Nakajima, Takumi Minamino, Hidemasa Morita, Ritsu Doan
Forwards: Yuya Osako, Takuma Asano, Koya Kitagawa
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
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Argentina 4 Haiti 0
Peru 2 Scotland 0
Panama 0 Northern Ireland 0
MATCH INFO
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Indian construction workers stranded in Ajman with unpaid dues
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Power: 707hp @ 6,000rpm
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The%20specs%20
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- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
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Profile Box
Company/date started: 2015
Founder/CEO: Mohammed Toraif
Based: Manama, Bahrain
Sector: Sales, Technology, Conservation
Size: (employees/revenue) 4/ 5,000 downloads
Stage: 1 ($100,000)
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AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Tim Paine (captain), Sean Abbott, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner
Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
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1. Japan - Played 3, Won 3, Points 14
2. Ireland - Played 3, Won 2, Lost 1, Points 11
3. Scotland - Played 2, Won 1, Lost 1, Points 5
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Ireland v Samoa – Saturday, 2.45pm
Japan v Scotland – Sunday, 2.45pm
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Sand storm
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- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
SCHEDULE FOR SHOW COURTS
Centre Court - from 4pm (UAE time)
Angelique Kerber (1) v Irina Falconi
Martin Klizan v Novak Djokovic (2)
Alexandr Dolgopolov v Roger Federer (3)
Court One - from 4pm
Milos Raonic (6) v Jan-Lennard Struff
Karolina Pliskova (3) v Evgeniya Rodina
Dominic Thiem (8) v Vasek Pospisil
Court Two - from 2.30pm
Juan Martin Del Potro (29) v Thanasi Kokkinakis
Agnieszka Radwanska (9) v Jelena Jankovic
Jeremy Chardy v Tomas Berdych (11)
Ons Jabeur v Svetlana Kuznetsova (7)
ENGLAND SQUAD
Goalkeepers Henderson, Johnstone, Pickford, Ramsdale
Defenders Alexander-Arnold, Chilwell, Coady, Godfrey, James, Maguire, Mings, Shaw, Stones, Trippier, Walker, White
Midfielders Bellingham, Henderson, Lingard, Mount, Phillips, Rice, Ward-Prowse
Forwards Calvert-Lewin, Foden, Grealish, Greenwood, Kane, Rashford, Saka, Sancho, Sterling, Watkins
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
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Torque: 520Nm
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
