Kerala CM calls COVID-19 criticism 'unwanted'

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], August 27 : At a time when Kerala has the highest number of active COVID-19 cases, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has rejected the criticism for alleged mishandling of the pandemic in the state and called it "unwanted."
Responding to the criticism being bombarded his way, in an article published in Communist Party of India (Marxist)'s magazine 'Chintha' he said Kerala has reported "no death due to lack of oxygen." Moreover, "no one has been deprived of medical aid or bed."
The Chief Minister further questioned if Kerala's model is "wrong" in the containment of COVID-19, then "which model should we adopt?"
"There are discussions around the lines that the present containment strategy in the state is not appropriate," he said.
Vijayan further alleged that some people are trying to neglect the facts and "deliberately creating confusion."
Several Opposition leaders have also condemned the government for inappropriate handling of the pandemic.
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee Working President PT Thomas said on Thursday that the state government had failed in tackling the Covid-19 pandemic.
Union Minister of State V Muraleedharan also slammed the state government in this regard by saying that Vijayan led government is trying to use the pandemic for political objectives.
BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya also blamed the state government for its inability to handle the situation.
"There are some unnecessary controversies surrounding the second wave. Some sections are trying to create fear among the people by portraying the high numbers during the second wave as a cause of concern," said the Chief Minister.
According to Vijayan, Kerala has the largest population density after major cities.
"The most effective defense against the pandemic is complete vaccination and it is the responsibility of the Centre to ensure the availability of doses," he said.
He further said that in all 3 seroprevalence studies conducted in the country, it was revealed that Kerala is the state with the least percentage of the infected population.
"We did not waste a single drop of vaccine and successfully inoculated extra doses," said Vijayan.
He also assured that the government "does not intend to fail its responsibilities."
Meanwhile, according to the health bulletin issued by the state health department on Friday, Kerala reported 32,801 new COVID-19 cases.
As many as 18,573 people recovered from the disease while 179 died over 24 hours.
The active cases climbed to 1,95,254 while the death toll has mounted 20,313.
The test positivity rate in the state stands at 19.22 per cent.