2,423 new cases in State
The Hindu
Heightened vigil against Omicron variant
The State recorded 2,423 fresh cases of COVID-19 19 on Thursday even as the government called for more caution and heightened surveillance against the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
Ernakulam with 455 cases, Thiruvananthapuram with 416 and Kozhikode with 266 topped the list of districts that reported new cases. As many as 58,459 samples were analysed over the last 24 hours.
Apart from the 15 deaths caused by the pandemic, the State also added 149 mortalities as per the Supreme Court guidelines, taking the death toll to 47,441.
For the first time in a Lok Sabha election, the AIADMK forfeited deposits in seven constituencies. For the ruling DMK, the verdict is seen as a popular endorsement of the functioning of its three-year government under Chief Minister M.K. Stalin. The outcome indicates that the BJP, whose Hindutva ideology has all along been considered alien to the political ethos of Tamil Nadu
Cardiologist and MP-elect from Bengaluru Rural C.N. Manjunath, who contested from the BJP and defeated three-time Congress MP D.K. Suresh, said he was the “people’s candidate” and that it is their aspiration to see him in the Union Cabinet. In an interview with The Hindu, he claimed his victory was possible because those who were treated at the Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research became his “ambassadors”.