COVID-19: Sudha Murty writes to Karnataka CM, offers help to set up separate hospital

Coronavirus

The foundation has offered to do the civil work for the hospital, and Dr Devi Shetty would provide the medical equipment.

TNM Staff

Infosys foundation chairman Sudha Murty wrote to the Karnataka government on Thursday, stating that the foundation, along with the chairman of Narayana Health Dr Devi Shetty, would like to work with them to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The letter states that private hospitals will not be able to manage the load ‘if such epidemic hits’. For this, the Infosys Foundation has asked for a government hospital with 500-700 beds to be readied, which uses oxygen lines and pipes. “Infosys Foundation will do the civil work and Dr Devi Shetty has agreed to share resources like medical equipment,” the letter states. The letter, signed by Sudha Murty, also lays out preventive measures that they believe needs to be undertaken to curb the spread of coronavirus. These include — Closing all schools and colleges immediately Shuttering malls, theatres and all air-conditioned areas Keeping only essential service stores such as pharmacies, grocery stores and petrol bunks open The Economic Times reported that CM BS Yediyurappa has responded to the letter, and a meeting of senior officials will include Sudha Murty and Devi Shetty. The report added that Murty spoke to ministers in the Yediyurappa cabinet, and offered help from the Infosys foundation. However, it was under question about where those removed would go.  Sudha Murthy wants a govt hospital vacated for handling corona since she says pvt hospital cannot handle it. Why then did this whole IT gang keep pushing for pvt healthcare ?? And where are the patients in the vacated govt hospital to go ? @sakie339 @VidyaKrishnan @drashwathcn https://t.co/4YHku5vywV — vinaysreenivasa ವಿನಯ (@vinaysreeni) March 13, 2020 Murty’s recommendation to close all schools and colleges has already been implemented in part. Last week, an indefinite holiday was declared for those till class five. On Thursday,  Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar also directed all schools to suspend classes immediately, and only come to school for the examinations. Board exams will be held as usual.  Another recommendation made, of separate hospitals for COVID-19, is something that the government is looking at. Karnataka Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar earlier told TNM that the government is looking at opening a separate hospital so that patients can be kept in quarantine, as well as setting up isolation beds at eight hospitals. “We are yet to decide the place and how many beds. This is to ensure that all those who need to be isolated can be in one facility and reduce the spread of the virus,” he had said.

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Karnataka to have separate medical facility in Bengaluru for suspected COVID-19 cases

Coronavirus

This comes after the first coronavirus death in India was reported from Kalaburagi in Karnataka on Thursday.

Theja Ram

PTI/ Representational Image

The Karnataka Health Department is contemplating opening one separate hospital where all suspected cases of COVID-19 can be kept in quarantine. It will also be setting up isolation beds at eight hospitals in Bengaluru for coronavirus patients. “I have discussed the issue with the Health Minister and officials. We have decided to open one separate facility to isolate patients suspected to have COVID-19. We are yet to decide the place and how many beds. This is to ensure that all those who need to be isolated can be in one facility and reduce the spread of the virus,” Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar said. Speaking to TNM, an official with the Health Department said that the government is in talks with Akash Institute of Medical Sciences and Research and one more hospital, which have empty beds.  “They have agreed to let us use one whole wing for housing patients in isolation. We are yet to decide which of these facilities will be used,” the officer added. This comes after the first death due to coronavirus in India was reported from Kalaburagi in Karnataka. The 76-year-old man had returned from Saudi Arabia on February 29. He was suspected to have COVID-19 during primary treatment at a private hospital and later shifted to  Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences. The man, who also had other health issues like asthma and high blood pressure, was diagnosed with pneumonia and coronavirus. Officials said that family members of the man did not follow instructions of the health department to isolate him as per protocol. And further he was moved to Hyderabad from a GIMS to a private hospital in Hyderabad without the knowledge of the district health officer. Other than him, there have been five positive cases reported in Bengaluru. Out of them, three are techies who returned from abroad and the other two positive cases are the wife and daughter of one of the techies. With inputs from Soumya Chatterjee

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Karnataka CID ADGP Charan Reddy passes away

Death

A 1993-batch IPS officer, Charan Reddy KSR is originally from Chittoor and has served under various departments of the state's police force.

TNM Staff

Additional Director General of Police heading the Criminal Investigation Department of Karnataka, Charan Reddy KSR, passed away in Bengaluru on Friday after prolonged illness. "Shri Charan Reddy, IPS, ADGP, Karnataka State, passed away this morning, after a prolonged illness. He was one of our finest officers. Always stood tall and held his head high!! May his soul rest in peace," Retired IPS officer and former Director General of Police (Fire Services) MN Reddi tweeted.  IPS officer Charan Reddy was heading the Special Investigation Team of the Lokayukta when he arrested Vijayanagara MLA Anand Singh in 2015 for illegally transporting iron ore out of Ballari. The illegal mining scam had rocked the former BJP government in 2011. Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa condoled his death and said that he was an honest officer in the state. "Charan Reddy was a dedicated and honest officer. I pray that his soul rests in peace. I pray that god gives his family the strength to go through such a turbulent time after his departure," BS Yediyurappa tweeted.  A 1993-batch IPS officer, Charan Reddy KSR is originally from Chittoor and has served under various departments of the state's police force. He was serving as the Inspector General of Police in Belagavi division in 2013, when he was transferred to Bengaluru as the IGP (Training). In 2014, he was posted as the IGP of the SIT probing the illegal mining scam in which former Tourism Minister Gali Janardhana Reddy is also allegedly involved. He was transferred out of the SIT in Lokayukta in 2016 and posted as Additional Commissioner of Police (law and order) in Bengaluru. He served as the ADGP of Crime in Mangaluru in 2018 and was later appointed as the Additional Director General of Police (training) the same year. In 2019, he was transferred and appointed as the ADGP of CID.     

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BWSSB employee killed after tree falls on car in Bengaluru

"The man was unwell and was sitting alone in the car parked at the entrance of the building when the tree fell on his car," an official said.

TNM Staff

A Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) employee was killed after a tree fell on the car he was sitting in at a BWSSB e-payment facility in Bengaluru. The deceased was identified as Srinivas, 45, an attender at the BWSSB facility. The incident occurred at around 3:00 pm on Thursday afternoon at the BWSSB facility which is located close to Trinity Church.  The car was parked at the entrance of the BWSSB facility which also houses a water tank. "The attender was unwell and was sitting alone in the car parked at the entrance of the building when the tree fell on his car. We are determining how old the tree was," an official who reached the spot stated.  A part of the tree fell on the car Srinivas was sitting in. He sustained grievous injuries in the incident and was rushed to Bowring Hospital by those nearby. On the way to the hospital, he passed away. A team of police officials rushed to the spot when the incident occurred. "A group of police personnel and Hoysala vehicle reached the spot as soon as the incident was reported to us. He was transferred to an ambulance however he died on the way," a police official said.  The relatives of the BWSSB employee including his daughter were inside the building when the incident occurred. Srinivas was waiting in the car. He had just returned after receiving treatment for a leg injury, a source close to the family told TNM. 

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Karnataka man who died of COVID-19 was in isolation, no need to panic says Hyd hospital

Coronavirus

The family from Kalaburagi took him to the private hospital despite govt authorities telling them not to.

Nitin B.

Image for representation

A 76-year-old man from Karnataka, who has become India's first COVID-19 fatality, had spent an hour at the Care Hospital in Hyderabad's Banjara Hills earlier this week. However, as authorities at the hospital took all necessary precautions, they said that there was no reason to panic. The man had visited Saudi Arabia on January 29 and returned to India a month later on February 29. He developed symptoms of fever and cough on March 6, following which he was admitted to a hospital in Kalaburagi in Karnataka. On March 9, he was shifted to the private hospital in Hyderabad despite the government telling the family that he was suspected to have COVID-19 and should not be moved. "The patient came to Care Hospital in Banjara Hills. We had a special isolated ward in the Emergency Room (ER). We admitted him and shifted him there. We asked for his treatment history and called up the hospital in Karnataka and spoke to him. As he was showing the symptoms of coronavirus, we referred him to Gandhi Hospital," an official from the hospital told TNM. Gandhi hospital has been named the nodal hospital for treatment for COVID-19 in Hyderabad. The official said that he spent less than an hour at the hospital, that too, in complete isolation. Despite the recommendation to shift him to Gandhi Hospital for treatment, the attendees of the patient booked a private ambulance and decided to take him back to Karnataka.  Care hospital official said that adequate care was taken by the medical staff, however reports suggest that one nurse has been asked to self-isolate, though she is asymptomatic, as a precautionary measure. Speaking about the steps taken, the official said, "We had already informed the government authorities, who visited the hospital and conducted all necessary checks. The entire ER is sanitised and there is no threat." However, before he was admitted in Care Hospitals, officials said that he was taken to two other hospitals in Hyderabad which refused to admit him and referred him to Gandhi Hospital, as he was showing the symptoms of the disease.  Srinivas Rao, Director of Public Health, Telangana, told reporters on Thursday evening that the hospitals had been identified and contact tracing was being undertaken by the state's Rapid Reaction Team (RRT). He said that further details would be shared on Friday. Since the patient had visited Hyderabad twice, as he landed in Hyderabad on February 29, before travelling to Kalaburagi, officials have also begun tracing his entire route from when he landed in the country. Read: India records first COVID-19 death: 76-year-old who died in Karnataka's Kalaburagi

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Family shifted man who died of COVID-19 to Hyderabad pvt hospital against govt advice

Coronavirus

The 76-year-old was reported positive for coronavirus two days after he died in Karnataka’s Kalaburagi.

Theja Ram

The family of the 76-year-old man, who was confirmed to have tested positive for COVID-19 after he died, refused to keep him in isolation despite being advised to do so, the Karnataka Health Department said in an official statement. According to the statement, the family allegedly shifted the man to a private hospital without the knowledge of the District Health Officer, despite having being provisionally diagnosed as a suspected case of COVID-19 by a private hospital in Kalaburagi earlier.  “The sample was collected on 09.03.2020 by Viral Research Diagnostic Laboratory, Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS), Kalaburgi to rule out COVID-19 and sample was dispatched to Viral Research & Diagnostic Laboratories, BMCRI (Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute), Bengaluru. Without waiting for the test results, the attendees insisted and the patient was discharged against medical advice (DAMA) and the attendees took him to a private hospital in Hyderabad,” the Health Department’s statement said. TNM could not confirm, at the time of writing, whether he was isolated at the private hospital in Kalaburagi where he was provisionally diagnosed.  Here is a timeline of events according to the Karnataka Health Department: The man visited Saudi Arabia between January 29 and February 29. He returned to Hyderabad on February 29. He was known for having hypertension and asthma, the Health department said. He went back to Kalaburagi the same night.  He was asymptomatic after he returned home but on March 6, he developed cough and fever. His family contacted a private doctor, who visited him at his home in Kalaburagi.  On March 9, his symptoms aggravated. His family shifted him to a private hospital in  Kalaburagi. He was provisionally diagnosed with mid-zonal Viral Pneumonia and “suspected COVID-19”, at the private hospital. It was after this provisional diagnosis that the that Viral Research Diagnostic Laboratory at GIMS took his samples on March 9 to rule out suspicion of COVID-19.  Deputy Commissioner of Kalaburagi, B Sharath directed District Health Officer MA Jabbar to isolate the man as a precautionary measure. “But the attendees refused to listen to them. They transferred him to Hyderabad without his (DHO’s) knowledge,” the health department statement reads.  He was admitted to a private hospital in Hyderabad and treated there. He was brought back when his condition deteriorated he was brought back from Hyderabad to GIMS on March 10, where he was declared brought dead.  “All the precautionary measures as per protocol such as screening and home quarantine of the contacts have been initiated by the District Health and Family Welfare Department, Karnataka and being monitored continuously,” the Health department’s statement concluded. 

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Google employee in Bengaluru gets COVID-19, others told to work from home

Coronavirus

Karnataka reported its fifth case of coronavirus on Thursday.

Soumya Chatterjee

Representational image/PTI

Global software giant Google has confirmed that an employee in one of their Bengaluru offices has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19).  "We can confirm that an employee from our Bangalore office has been diagnosed with COVID-19. They were in one of our Bangalore offices for a few hours before developing any symptoms. The employee has been on quarantine since then, and we have asked colleagues who were in close contact with the employee to quarantine themselves and monitor their health," a Google spokesperson told TNM. Out of an abundance of caution, we are asking employees in that Bangalore office to work from home tomorrow. We have taken and will continue to take all necessary precautionary measures, following the advice of public health officials, as we prioritize everyone's health and safety.” the spokesperson added. All other employees of the office have been asked to work from home on Friday so that the office can be sanitised. The employee had no symptoms and was allowed inside office as he did not have fever. A few hours later, he complained of feeling sick and was taken to the hospital. Meanwhile, his family member in Bengaluru and others in Mumbai too have been quarantined. This case, the fifth positive case from Karnataka, was confirmed by Karnataka health authorities on Thursday.  Minister of Medical Education Dr K Sudhakar in a press conference had said the 26-year-old man and his wife, who recently got married, had gone to Greece for a holiday on February 23. They had returned on March 6 to Mumbai and on March 8, the man reached Bengaluru on an IndiGo flight. Meanwhile, his wife had gone to Agra, her native place. He was reportedly staying at the Old Airport Road area in Bengaluru and works in Google’s RMZ Infinity office. Officials at the Karnataka Health Department said that the developments have been shared with health authorities in both Agra and Mumbai. Health officials also said that the cab in which he travelled from the airport to his home in Bengaluru has been identified. The cab driver and his family have also been kept in home isolation as per protocol. Officials also said that so far, 17 people have come in direct contact with him and the state officials are further collecting details of co-passengers in the flight that he travelled on so that they can be put under home isolation. Previously in Bengaluru, one Dell employee who had returned from Austin, Texas via Dubai, his wife and daughter were the first three positive cases in the city. Subsequently, one Mindtree employee who had also returned from the US (United States) via London was confirmed as the fourth positive case in the city. On Thursday evening, India recorded its first death due to COVID-19 as a 76-year-old man who died on March 10 was confirmed to have tested positive for the disease. "The 76-year-old man from Kalaburagi who passed away and was a suspected COVID-19 patient has been confirmed for COVID 19. The necessary contact tracing, isolation and other measures as per protocol are being carried out. The Telangana government has also been informed since he went to a private hospital there,” the government said. As earlier reported, the man had returned from Saudi Arabia on February 29 and landed at the Hyderabad Airport, and later travelled to Kalaburagi.       

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