COVID-19 cases in Karnataka surges past 100

Team Udayavani, Apr 1, 2020, 8:26 AM IST

Bengaluru: The state’s tally of people infected by the deadly virus crossed the 100 marks, the Health Department said on Tuesday.

Till date, 101 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state which includes 3 deaths and 8 discharges, a health department bulletin said.

The government has so far identified 78 people from the state who were ‘associated’ with Tablighi Jamaat at Nizamuddin Markaz Masjid in New Delhi and has quarantined them, it said.

Officials said they were not sure whether all of them attended the congregation of the jamat but have been quarantined as they would have come into contact with those who took part in the event earlier this month.

Six of them were transit passengers from Kerala who had arrived in airports in Karnataka.

Out of the active cases, as many as 88 patients, including a pregnant woman, were in stable condition in isolation at designated hospitals while two others in intensive care unit (ICU), it said.

The bulletin included details of three positive cases announced by Health Minister B Sriramulu late Monday night.

They are a 52-year old man, and two women, aged 48 and 26 — residents of Hosapete in Ballari district with a travel history to Bengaluru but no overseas journey.

Detailed investigation was on to find out how they were infected by the virus, the department said.

The fresh cases were reported from Bengaluru (3), Mysuru (2), Chikkabllapur (1), Dakshina Kannada (1), Uttara Kannada (1) and Kalaburagi (1).

Contact tracing has been initiated for all the cases, the department said.

Among the 101 positive cases mentioned by the department, 45 were reported from Bengaluru, 14 from Mysuru, nine from Chikkaballapura, eight from Dakshina Kannada and Uttara Kannada, four from Kalaburgai, three each from Davangere, Udupi and Ballari, two from Tumakuru, and one each from Kodagu and Dharwad.

All the eight discharged patients are from Bengaluru, while one death each had been reported in Kalaburgari, Bengaluru and Tumakuru.

Speaking to reporters, Additional Chief Secretary Health and Family Welfare department Jawaid Akhtar said any person who has attended Tablighi Jamaat Congregation at Nizamuddin should contact Arogya Sayavaani helpline 080-29711171 number.

He said 78 people from the state associated with Tablighi Jamaat have been identified and quarantined.

“We are not sure whether all of them attended the congregation held earlier this month, but as they would have come in contact with those attended in one or the other way, they have been put under government quarantine.” With many of them claiming that they have completed 14 days of quarantine already, we have also decided to put them for COVID-19 test, he said, adding that the 78 included some foreign nationals.

Sriramulu had earlier said as many as 54 people, including a 60-year-old man from Sira in Tumakuru, who died recently had attended the religious congregation, and COVID-19 test reports of 13 of them who were under quarantine have come out as negative.

The Commissionerate of Health and Family Welfare Services in its efforts to contain COVID-19 has instructed all private Hospitals to mandatorily report all severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) cases admitted by them to the District Surveillance Officer.

It has given recommendations for empiric use of hydroxy chloroquine for prophylaxis of SARS-CoV-2 and has instructed all the Deputy Commissioners to ensure that the health workers were provided with the tablets.

All SARI cases should be referred to District level hospital or medical college with ICU facility for clinical management. Sample may be taken for COVID-19 testing as per revised sample collection protocols.

Availability of doctors and para-medical staff in UPHCs was an urgent and essential need for containment of COVID-19 especially in urban areas like the city corporation limits and in directions had been issued for urgent filling of of all vacancies in Urban Primary Health Centres.

The special officers are designated for this urgent recruitment to be completed within 2-3 days through walk-in interview procedure, the bulletin added.