Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 29 (IANS): As many as 5887 people were found positive after testing 61,778 samples, according to a release from the office of the Kerala state health minister , KK Shailaja.

5029 people were reported cured taking the number of recoveries in the state to 6,81,397.

The Kottayam district with 777 Covid positive cases topped the list while Kasargod with 59 cases tested the least number of positive cases.

The test positivity rate is 9.53%.

Twenty four deaths were reported on Tuesday owing to Covid 19. This takes the total number of Covid deaths in the state to 3014.

Of those tested positive on Tuesday 89 people were from outside the state. 5180 people tested positive through contact while the source of contact of 555 people is not clear.

On Tuesday, 63 health workers also tested Covid positive.

Kannur has 11 cases, Pathanamthitta 10, Kozhikode 8, Thiruvananthapuram 7, Ernakulam 6,Thrissur 5, Kollam 4, Palakkad and Wayand 3 each, Kottayam and Kasargod 2 each and Alappuzha and Malappuram 1 each.

2,49,162 people are under observation in various parts of the state. Of these 2,37,076 people are under observation at their residences or in institutional quarantine while 12,086 are hospitalised.

There is one new hotspot in the state today. Thiruvmuttikad (Containment Zone Ward 6) in Palakkad district is the new hotspot.

This takes the total hotspots in the state to 463 hotspots.