THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: CM told the media here that 24 new coronavirus cases were confirmed on Monday. 7,969 samples were sent to labs for testing while 7,256 returned negative.

Among the 24 new cases, 12 are from Kasaragod district, three from Ernakulam, two each are from Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, Malappuram, and Kannur while one is from Palakkad district, the CM said. Nine of the 24 cases on Wednesday had returned from abroad while the others developed the disease through contact.

With this the total number of coronavirus positive cases in Kerala rose to 265, among them 237 are undergoing treatment at hospitals, CM Vijayan said. One each in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode have recovered from the disease, he added.

As many as 1,64,130 people are under observation in the state-1,63,508 are under home isolation and 622 are admitted to various hospitals. 123 people have been admitted to various hospitals on Wednesday alone.

Out of the total COVID-19 positive cases in the state, 191 had returned from abroad. Seven among them are foreigners. As many as 67 persons contracted COVID-19 through contact.

Tests of 26 patients who were undergoing treatment have become negative for coronavirus including four foreigners, CM said.