THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala reported 272 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said. Of the new cases, 157 persons returned from abroad and 38 came from other states. 68 persons contracted the virus through contact. This is the highest single-day spike recorded by the state.

The district-wise breakup of new cases:

Malappuram-63, Thiruvananthapuram- 54, Palakkad- 29, Ernakulam- 21, Kannur- 19, Alappuzha- 18, Kozhikode-15, Kasargod- 13, Pathanamthitta- 12, Kollam- 11, Thrissur- 10, Kottayam- 3, Wayanad-3, Idukki-1.

The CM further stated that 7 health workers, 1 CISF officer and 1 DSC officer also tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, 111 patients tested negative for the virus on Tuesday, the CM added.

Out of the 1,86,576 persons under observation in the state, 3034 are in hospitals. The CM also added that 18 new hotspots have been identified in the state. At present, there are 169 hotspots in Kerala.