New cases are surging in Kerala. The Indian Medical Association has written to the Kerala government to declare a ‘health emergency’ in the state due to a disturbing increase in COVID-19 cases. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday announced that Kerala would see 15,000 cases per day by mid-October, and recommended severe action against safety protocol violators. The letter by IMA reads, “The government should ensure that the public is strictly following safety measures such as washing hands, using sanitizer, wearing masks and practicing physical distancing, as it is key to prevent contact transmission."

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“Declaring a health emergency would help the public grasp the gravity of the situation and ensure that they practice more caution. It would also help implement stricter restrictions to curb contact transmission and start preparatory measures to expand infrastructure to handle more cases,” says Dr. P Gopikumar, Secretary of IMA Thiruvananthapuram.  IMA has asked the state to ban all public and social gatherings and only permit people to step out of their houses for work and purchasing essential goods. 

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Data on the number of free beds, Intensive Care Units (ICU) and ventilators in both private and public hospitals operating coronavirus patients should be made accessible to the public. The state should also form a coordination committee for COVID-19 by roping in medical experts and members of professional associations such as the IMA.  Dr. Gopikumar added, "Despite the spike in cases, our death rate is still low. But if hospitals overfill due to a spike in cases, then death count will increase as people will not be able to access ventilators. Hence, implementing stringent restrictions is crucial to control the spread."

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