THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday announced that 67 more persons have tested positive for coronavirus in the state. This is the highest single-day spike reported by the state ever since the first case was reported in January.

Palakkad reported the highest number of cases with 29 persons testing positive for the virus. Among others, 8 are from Kannur, 6 are from Kottayam, 5 each are from Malappuram and Ernakulam, 4 each are from Thrissur and Kollam and 3 each are from Kasargod and Alappuzha. The CM also added that 10 patients tested negative for the virus on Tuesday.

Among the newly infected persons, 27 had returned from abroad and 33 had returned from various states( Maharashtra-15, Tamil Nadu-9, Gujarat- 5, Karnataka-2, Pondicherry-1, Delhi-1). 7 people contracted the disease through contact with infected persons.

At present, 415 persons are undergoing treatment at various hospitals in the state. The Chief Minister added that nine more hotspots have been identified in the state.

Till date, 963 COVID-19 cases have been reported in the state out of which 542 have recovered. While 1,03,528 persons are in home or institutional quarantines, 808 persons are kept under observation at various hospitals. The Chief Minister also expressed condolences on the death of Asiya who died of COVID-19 on Monday.