Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 15 (IANS): In yet another high for Kerala, 1,608 more coronavirus cases were detected in the southern state on Saturday.

Health Minister KK Shailaja, presently in isolation, said in a statement here that 14,891 positive patients were under treatment in various hospitals, whereas 27,779 others have been cured so far.

"As many as 1,409 of those who tested positive on Saturday are local infectees. Thiruvananthapuram district alone accounted for 313 cases. At present, 1,60,169 persons in Kerala are under observation, including 12,358 in hospitals. There are 562 hotspots in the state," said Shailaja.

Since Friday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and seven of his Cabinet colleagues are in self-isolation after Malappuram District Collector K Gopalakrishnan tested corona positive.

He was coordinating rescue work after an Air India Express flight crash at the Karipur airport on August 7. The next day, Vijayan and his Cabinet colleagues had visited the accident site, where Gopalakrishnan was also present.

On Saturday, 53 more inmates at the Thiruvananthapuram Central Jail tested corona positive, taking the total such cases to 217. The jail houses 975 inmates.