Giving a scare to the entire population of the State, 4,644 new patients were diagnosed with Covid-19 in Kerala on Saturday.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in his media briefing that 18 persons succumbed to the pandemic during the last 24 hours and this took the death tally in the state till date to 519.

Except in Wayanadu (95) and Idukki (47), the remaining 12 districts diagnosed more than 200 patients each. Thiruvananthapuram had the highest number of new cases on Saturday (824).

3,781 persons contracted the pandemic through social contacts while 498 persons could not find out the source from where they were infected. The State also detected on Saturday 86 health workers who got infected through social contact/ local transmission.

There are 37,488 active cases admitted to hospitals in Kerala. The State administration found itself in an awkward position as it was reported widely that the an exclusive Covid hospital built by the Tata Group in Kasaragod district was yet to commence its operations as the Government of Kerala failed to appoint even a single doctor in this 550-bed hospital built by the business conglomerate at a cost of Rs 60 crore. Though the keys of the hospital were handed over to the State administration on September 9, the Covid-19 hospital remains closed.

Kasaragod district diagnosed 191 new patients with Covid-19 . Though there is a medical college in the district head quarters, it also remains without adequate staff, said a senior doctor in the general hospital.