THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Tamil Nadu native Arasakaran, who died on June 24 in Manjeri Medical College, has been confirmed with COVID-19. CM Pinarayi said this during Monday's press meet. With this, death toll in Kerala due to COVID-19 rose to 23.

The state confirmed 121 COVID-19 positive cases on Monday.

Out of this, 78 persons are foreign returnees, while 26 people came from other states. five persons contracted the disease through contact.

Thrissur accounted for 26 new cases, Kannur 14, Pathanamthitta and Malappuram 13 each, Palakkad 12, Kollam 11, Kozhikode 9, Ernakulam, Idukki and Alappuzha 5 each, while Thiruvananthapuram and Kasargod reported 4 cases each.

Meanwhile, 79 patients tested negative for the virus on Monday, the CM added. At present, 2057 persons are undergoing treatment for coronavirus at various hospitals across the state.