Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 1 (IANS): In a welcome change, Kerala's daily new Covid cases on Friday saw a decrease with 13,834 turning positive after 1,05,368 samples were tested in the past 24 hours, a statement said.

The day's test positivity rate came down to 13.12 per cent, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in the statement.

Thursday's tally and TPR were 15,914 and 15.32 per cent, respectively

Covid expert Dr Zulphi said things are looking positive now and if the present pattern continues, by the beginning of next month, things could be very good for the state.

"Just look into the number of patients now admitted in hospitals and this, in itself, is the indicator of how things are shaping in the state. This is the effect of the successful vaccination drive that has taken place," he said.

Vijayan's statement also said that 13,767 people turned negative, while the total number of active cases stood at 1,42,499, of which just 11.5 per cent of the patients were in hospitals.

Friday also saw a drop in the daily Covid deaths, when 95 fatalities reported, taking the death toll to 25,182.

On the vaccination front, 92.5 per cent of those above 18 years have got their first dose, and 41.2 per cent received both the doses.