Amid the threat of JN.1, a new mutant strain of SARS-CoV-2 circulating in a few States, Karnataka has recorded three deaths in the last one week. This is after a gap of over two months.
All three deaths have been reported in Bengaluru. However, the infecting strain is yet to be established as the Health Department is awaiting genome sequencing reports of their samples.
Of the three deaths, a 76-year-old male, who was hospitalised for SARI (severe acute respiratory infections), battled the illness for over three months. He was admitted to a private hospital on September 12 and died due to aspiration pneumonia on December 17.
The other two — a 64-year-old male and another 44-year-old male — who had multiple comorbidities died due to Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome (MODS) on December 15 and December 16 respectively.
The last death was reported on October 7 this year in the State. An 80-year-old female resident of Bengaluru, who was diagnosed with SARI, had succumbed to the illness at her residence. Overall, the Health Department has recorded 40,317 COVID deaths so far.
92 active cases in State
With 20 new cases reported in the last 24 hours, the State now has 92 active cases. This is the second highest in the country after Kerala. As many as 808 COVID-19 tests have been done since Tuesday morning, and the test positivity rate (TPR) stands at 2.47%.
Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, who attended the video conference convened by Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday, said the 64-year-old resident of Chamrajpet was admitted to a private hospital on December 14 and passed away the next day. “He had hypertension, lung disease, bronchial asthma, pulmonary tuberculosis. He had a heart failure and went into a cardiogenic shock. He also had pneumonia, and COVID-19 was an incidental finding,” he said.
Calling upon people not to panic, the Minister claimed currently Karnataka is doing the highest number of COVID-19 tests in the country. While 1,122 tests were done on Tuesday, as many as 808 tests were done on Wednesday. “We have directed all districts to ramp up testing, especially in the border districts, and conduct around 5,000 tests daily from Saturday. As of now the situation is not alarming in the State,” he said.
RT-PCR must for all SARI patients
“All SARI cases in both government and private hospitals across the State must compulsorily undergo RT-PCR testing. We will soon issue an advisory on this. Besides, one in 20 ILI patients will also need to undergo RT-PCR testing,” the Minister said, asserting that the Health Department was gearing up to handle the situation in the event of a surge in cases.
During the meeting, the Minister appealed to the Union Health Minister to provide monetary assistance for the maintenance of ventilators that were given to Karnataka through PM-CARES funds. “Also, daily COVID-19 updates are not available on the ICMR portal due to some technical glitches. We requested the Union Minister to ensure that this information is available,” he said.
Mask must for health workers
Announcing that wearing masks is mandatory for all health workers in both government and private hospitals, the Minister said: “Health workers will have greater exposure to the virus. They should mandatorily wear masks,” he added.
1,500 tests daily in Bengaluru
Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, who held a meeting with the officials from the Health Department and BBMP officials, directed them to conduct 1,500 tests daily in Bengaluru. He also asked them to ensure adequate availability of beds, including ICU beds and medical oxygen in Bengaluru hospitals. He instructed the officials to work in coordination to avoid any inconvenience to patients.
No restrictions for New Year as of now
Mr. Gundu Rao said there is no proposal before the government to impose restrictions on New Year celebrations. “Positive cases may increase when testing is ramped up by Saturday. We take a call based on the situation after that. We will discuss these issues at the Chief Minister’s meeting with TAC and officials on Thursday,” he said.
