Bengaluru, Apr 25 () COVID-19 infections reachedthe 500 mark in Karnataka on Saturday, as 26 new cases havebeen confirmed positive, including a journalist, the stategovernment said.
"As of 5:00 PM on April 25, cumulatively 500 COVID-19positive cases have been confirmed in the state, it includes18 deaths and 158 discharges," the Health department said inits bulletin.
Out of the 324 active cases, 317 patients (including 1pregnant woman) are in isolation at designated hospitals andare stable, while seven are in ICU.
Six patients who have recovered have been dischargedon Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka government on Saturdaycommenced clinical trials of convalescent plasma therapy totreat critical coronavirus patients in the state.
In this treatment, plasma cells from a COVID-19patient who has recovered from the disease, is transfused intoa coronavirus patient who is in critical condition.
The government has appealed to those patients who weresuccessfully treated for coronavirus to come forward to donateplasma and help in recovery of patients in ICU.
Twenty-six new COVID-19 cases have been reported inthe state, of which 13 are from Bengaluru urban, includingcameraman of a Kannada news channel, who has visitedcontainment zones demarcated by BBMP (city civic body).
Among other cases in Bengaluru urban, nine arecontacts of a 54-year old labourer, who tested positiveearlier this week; while the other three are contacts ofanother patient who has already tested positive.
Cases from other districts include, nine fromHirebagewadi in Belagavi, and one each from Mandya,Chikkaballapura, Bantwala in Dakshina Kannada and Nanjanaguduin Mysuru.
Twenty-four cases are contacts of patients alreadytested positive, while one is a journalist from Bengaluru andother from Chikkabalapura with a travel history to Hindupuraand Anantapura in Andhra Pradesh.
Contact tracing has been initiated and is in progressfor all the cases, the department said.
From across the state most number of infections havebeen reported in Bengaluru urban with 133 cases, followed byMysuru 89 and Belagavi 54.
Of the total 158 patients discharged so far, maximum49 are from Bengaluru, 34 from Mysuru, 11 each from DakshinaKannada and Chikkaballapura.
While among the dead are four each from Bengaluruurban and Kalaburagi, two each from Chikkaballapura, DakshinaKannada and Vijayapura, and one each from Belagavi, Bagalkote,Gadag and Tumakuru.
A total of 39,083 samples were tested so far, out ofwhich 3,125 were tested on Saturday alone.
So far 34,888 samples have reported as negative, andout of them 2,974 were reported negative on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Commissioner of Health & Family WelfareServices has given instructions to all districts that contacttracing App should be mandatorily used for reporting orentering data of primary and secondary contact of COVID-19patients, and the mobile app can downloaded by the authorisedperson. KSU SS