COVID-19: All SARI and comorbid ILI patients in Karnataka to be tested mandatorily

The State Cabinet sub-committee on COVID that held its second meeting on Friday has decided to ensure closer monitoring of elderly and comorbid patients who are under home isolation. This is in the wake of COVID being found as an incidental finding in many those who died. A COVID helpline will be launched on Saturday, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said.

Briefing mediapersons after chairing the meeting, Mr. Gundu Rao said that following the COVID-19 Technical Advisory Committee’s (TAC) recommendations all SARI and comorbid ILI patients will be compulsorily tested for COVID. So far, one in 20 ILI patients has been tested. “Health officials will be instructed to keep a close watch on elderly and those with comorbidities who test positive,” he said.

State reports 328 new COVID cases

Karnataka on Friday reported 328 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total number of active cases to 1,159.

Of these 72 patients have been hospitalised. While nine are being treated in ICUs, three patients have been put on ventilators.

As many as 7,205 tests were done in the last 24 hours of which 6,418 are RTPCR tests. With this, the day’s test positivity rate stood at 4.55%.

As many as 409 patients were discharged from hospitals on Friday.