COVID-19: over 400 cases in K'taka; no immediate relaxation in lockdown: govt
Bengaluru, Apr 20 (): The total number of COVID-19infections breached the 400 mark in Karnataka, with 18 casesbeing confirmed on Monday even as the state cabinet decided tocontinue the lockdown measures till May 3 without anyrelaxation.
Cumulatively 408 coronavirus have been confirmed in thestate, which includes 16 deaths and 12 discharges, the healthdepartment said in a bulletin.
Of the 280 active cases, 278 patients (including apregnant woman) are in isolation at designated hospitals andare stable, while two are in Intensive Care Units.
Minister S Suresh Kumar, spokesperson for COVID-19 inKarnataka, told reporters that the government planned toidentify cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI)and Influenza like Illness (ILI) in all districts to controlthe fatality rate.
He said action was being taken against hospitals that arenot reporting about such vulnerable cases.
"Out of 16 deaths that have occurred in the state, 80 percent are those aged above 60 years, 11 of them are with SARIhistory.
The minister also appealed to those developing anysymptoms to immediately go to designated hospitals and saidmost of the deaths had occurred as people approached hospitalsat a very late stage.
He also said the number of SARI cases tested positive asof date was 29 and ILI, 2.
Kumar said all 18 cases reported on Monday, nine of themmen and an equal number of women, were contacts of patientswho had already tested positive.
Contact tracing has been initiated and was in progressfor all the cases, the health department said.
Nine out of total of 408 cases detected and confirmed inKarnataka so far are transit passengers of Kerala. Bengaluru urban tops the state with 89 cases, followed byMysuru 84 and Belagavi 42.
Of the total of 112 patients discharged so far, themaximum of 45 was from Bengaluru, while Mysuru accounted for24 and 11 were fromfrom Dakshina Kannada, the bulletin said.
Among the deceased, four are from Bengaluru urban, threefrom Kalaburagi, two each from Chikkaballapura and Vijayapura,and one each from Belagavi, Bagalkote, Gadag, Dakshina Kannadaand Tumakuru
The Minister said as on date there are 10 COVID freedistricts -- Chamarajanagara, Chikkamagaluru, Hassan, Haveri,Kolar, Koppal, Raichur, Ramanagara, Shivamogga and Yadgir.
He said not a single positive case was reported fromKodagu in the last 32 days and from Chitradurge in the last 26days.
Davangere had not reported any positive case in the last25 days and Udupi in 22 days, he said.
The minister said a total of 23,460 samples had beentested so far, of which 2,093 were on Monday alone.
So far 19,497 samples had reported negative, of which1,835 were on Monday alone.
Sharing details about Nanjanagudu in Mysuru district,which has one of the larger clusters in the state, Kumar said2,098 people were quarantined, of whom 1,960 were tested. Sixty nine among them tested positive, 1,891 were negativeand results of 138 others are awaited, he said.
Of the total number tested, 1,483 were employees ofJubilant Pharma company and 477 were their family members
Out of total 84 positive cases in Mysuru district, 69were from the pharma company, 10 were linked with the TablighiJamaat and the others were those who returned from abroad.
On Tablighi Jamaat related cases in the state, Kumar saiddirect infections after returning from Delhi was 20, while103 of their contacts tested positive.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka cabinet on Monday decided tocontinue the COVID-19 lockdown measures currently in force inthe state till May 3 without any relaxation.
However, leaving a window open, it authorised ChiefMinister B S Yediyurappa and the COVID-19 Task Force to meetin three or four days to review and take further decisionabout any relaxation, the minister told reporters here.
The Cabinet also decided to promulgate an ordinance,giving it special powers to control the spread of COVID-19,including providing protection to frontline health workers andmaking non- cooperation with government a punishable offence.
The government did this after going through similarordinances of the Kerala and Uttar Pradesh governments.
Kumar said, as on date 19 containment zones have beenidentified in BBMP (Bengaluru civic body) area based onCOVID-19 cases.
Among them eight are in Bengaluru south, East 4, West 3,Rajarajeshwri Nagar and Bommanahalli one each and Mahadevapura2.
Containment measures will be strictly followed in thesecontainment zones, the minister said. KSU APRRAVINDRANATH APRRAVINDRANATH