Success story: KK Shailaja. By mid-May, the Indian state of Kerala had contained the first wave of Covid-19, earning praise for the quick thinking and joined-up response of its health minister, KK Shailaja, and her team. By July, however, there were suggestions that those plaudits had been premature, and that Keralaâs Covid-19 response had come unstuck. Had it? Shailaja Teacher â as the 64-year-old minister is affectionately known â had been expecting a surge in infections once Indiaâs lockdown was lifted later in May. Kerala, home to 35 million people, has the countryâs most robust health systems, but it is one of Indiaâs poorer states, with one of its oldest populations. About 17% of workers leave to find jobs in neighbouring states, and there were fears about what would happen when, inevitably, these migrants returned. The authorities knew they could not keep Keralaâs borders shut or, given that the state relies on imports, keep it isolated from its neighbours.