On Wednesday, Kerala recorded 31,445 new COVID-19 cases, a record high in around three months. Kerala had last reported new cases beyond the 30,000 mark on May 22.

The spike following Onam and low testing during the week of festivities took India’s daily case numbers to 46,206. Data from Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand was yet to come. This is the first time since July 7 that India’s total case numbers have crossed the 45,000 mark. Kerala accounted for more than 68% of the country’s cases, while Maharashtra also recorded a slight surge with fresh cases crossing the 5,000 mark after a span of 5 days.

The seven-day average of tests in Kerala has shown a constant decline since August 5. The state’s average test positivity rate on Wednesday stood at 17.3%. Cases might increase further as the testing protocol returns to its normal pace… (ET Healthworld – TNN, August 26, 2021)