The surge in coronavirus testing was supposed to give public health officials a better grip on who’s sick and where. Instead, it’s exposing gaps in reporting.
from Health Care https://ift.tt/2R7ta1u
via IFTTT
Body 2:
Friday, April 3, 2020
Trump set to urge Americans to wear face coverings when outside
Trump's planned guidance would encourage Americans to use homemade coverings, like cloth masks, scarves or bandannas, when outside the home.
from Health Care https://ift.tt/2X02X93
via IFTTT
from Health Care https://ift.tt/2X02X93
via IFTTT
Thursday, April 2, 2020
10 Tablighi Jamaat participants, 1 contact among 14 new cases in Karnataka on Thursday
The state tally is now up to 124.
Representational image/PTI
The total number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases have increased to 124 in Karnataka with the addition of 14 new cases since Wednesday. The 14 new patients who tested positive include 10 patients who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat markaz in Nizamuddin in Delhi held between March 8 to 21. While nine of them are from Bidar district, one is a native of Hyderabad. A contact of one of the attendees from Kalaburagi has also tested positive. The other three cases are from two from Mysuru and one from Ballari district. Among the 124 total cases in the state, three persons have died and another 11 people have been discharged following their recovery. Among the active cases, all are in stable condition except three requiring intensive care. While one among them is on oxygen the other two are on ventilator support. The two new cases in Mysuru are contacts of a patient who was infected in the Nanjangud cluster. So far, 16 people have contracted the virus there but there has been no breakthrough in finding the source. The 35-year-old who first tested positive in Nanjangud was said to have no foreign travel history and no contact with an infected person. However, health department officials said that he was in touch with healthcare professionals. Incidentally, the Mysuru cluster is the biggest in the state. Currently the Mysuru district administration is also looking at shipments made from China as a possible source of infection. Further, the district officials are probing the visitors’ log book of the pharma unit as it had visitors from foreign countries as well. Further the 35-year-old’s movements are also being probed in detail. The Ballari case is the son of an already infected patient (P-81). As of Thursday evening, the state has conducted 4,181 tests out of which 3,910 are negative. Rest of the results are awaited.
from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2X39fEF
via IFTTT
Two private labs in Bengaluru to double up as fever clinics
The fever clinics are for people to go and check if they have symptoms of COVID-19. Now, labs have been asked to do this as well.
PTI
The two private labs in Karnataka, which have been allowed by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) to do COVID-19 testing have now been directed to be used as fever clinics as well. The two labs- Neuberg Anand Diagnostic Laboratory in Bowring hospital and Cancyte Technologies Pvt Ltd- are situated in Bengaluru: There are 31 fever clinics which have come up across the city, while there are 30 more across the state, especially in those districts which are seeing a bigger number of COVID-19 cases. The fever clinics are where people can go if they suspect that they have symptoms of coronavirus, especially when it comes to people who are the primary contacts of confirmed cases, or they have recently visited a foreign country. The Times of India reported that the procedure for the fever clinic is that people are supposed to fill in a form for an appointment at the nearest fever clinic, or go through the helpline number for assistance. After they visit the clinic, they are screened by checking their symptoms to see whether they are suspected to have the virus. The people who are not suspected of having coronavirus are sent home with a prescription to treat whatever kind of flu they have, while samples are collected from those who are suspected of having coronavirus. Read: Bengaluru has 31 fever clinics now: What this means for you Bangalore mirror reported that the screening procedure and testing for COVID-19 is completed free of cost in government facilities. However, if the fever clinic is located in the private testing labs, then the test is chargeable up to Rs 4,500 based on the government guidelines for pricing the test for COVID-19. So far, there have been 121 cases of coronavirus reported in Karnataka as of the evening of April 2. Three people have passed away due to the virus, while 9 people have recovered and have been discharged from the hospital after they tested negative for COVID-19 twice.
Body 2:
from Karnataka https://ift.tt/3bHj3IL
via IFTTT
PM CARES vs CM Relief Fund: Kerala FM, activists ask people to donate to state funds
Kerala FM Thomas Isaac said that the Centre has not yet announced any state-wise relief package or plan.
File image
As the number of COVID-19 patients and those affected by the lockdown increase, Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac has urged state residents to donate to the Chief Minister Relief Fund as opposed to the PM CARES (Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations) Fund. In an exclusive conversation with TNM, Isaac said, “Kerala government’s appeal for the people of Kerala is to contribute to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund. Because the state governments are on the frontline and they have to bear the expenditure related to COVID-19. Unfortunately the Government of India is not considering the plight of the state governments. Revenue is coming down sharply which forced many of the state governments to even slash salaries. The Centre so far has not announced a package like state governments have done.” He added, “Even by the end of March they were not kind enough to provide any additional fund. Hence in this context, the voluntary contribution of the people is very much required and I am appealing to them to contribute to the CM relief fund. Otherwise we don't have any objection to anyone contributing to the PM Fund.” A similar conversation is happening on Twitter in Karnataka. Many, including former Karnataka State Women’s Commission chief Brinda Adige, have opined that private donations from the state and all Local Area Development (LAD) funds of the state’s MLAs and MPs should go to the Karnataka Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. The conversation was sparked by Union Minister and Bangalore North MP Sadananda Gowda announcing that he has donated Rs 1 crore from his MPLAD funds and one month salary to PM CARES. Dear CM of Karnataka pl ensure that MPs from Karnataka, do not send MPLAD funds to PMcares. These MPs were elected by Kannadigas, they must utilise the funds for Citizens in crisis in Karnataka. @CMofKarnataka @PLEKarnataka @ChetanAhimsa @leofsaldanha https://t.co/z0MxRGHVEJ — Brinda Adige (@BrindaAdige) March 31, 2020 Like Isaac, many are of the opinion that the state governments being the implementing agency in most relief measures, it’s better that money should go to the state government. Others have also pointed out the lack of transparency and accountability associated with the newly unveiled fund as there was already an existing Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund. Some have also expressed disappointment with the Centre's actions over disbursement of funds to southern states for disaster relief in recent times. Vinay Kumar, an activist advocating local self-governance and a volunteer with the state government in this crisis, said, “The MPs have no role in local governance except for their LAD funds and if they have given that back to the Centre then they have made no contribution. Otherwise with the sizeable amount that money could have been used for feeding the local people in the constituency and immediately could have made a lot of change. If it goes back to Delhi, how long does it take to come back to the people again? Also there is Rs 3,800 crore of fund leftover in the existing Prime Minister's National Relief Fund.” Vinay also raised issues relating to the PM CARES as highlighted by rights activist Saket Gokhale. Gokhale has argued that unlike the existing Prime MInister's National Relief Fund, there is lack of transparency on how the funds collected will be spent. PM-CARES scam gets murkier Thread Using religion as a distraction y'day, Modi govt. quietly passed an ordinance amending the IT Act & bringing PM-CARES at par with PM National Relief Fund They waited to do this till after Parliament session ended last week on 23 Mar' (1/7) pic.twitter.com/zeH4CNwHRc — Saket Gokhale (@SaketGokhale) April 1, 2020 Similarly, actor and activist Chetan Ahimsa said, “MPs are given 'Local Area Development' funds to take CARES of the development schemes of their constituencies in their respective states. The same goes for MPs in Karnataka. And when a Karnataka MP takes money from the LAD funds and places it into PM CARES funding, then s/he is depriving the people of Karnataka who have elected that MP. The MPs primary responsibility must be to his/her own constituency. If the MP wants to give money to the PM CARES, they can do so with their own personal money instead of taking away taxpayer funds from the entire constituency.” He also touched upon the issue of southern states especially Karnataka and Kerala not getting their due share of disaster relief in the state. “We have seen trends during national calamities how in spite of paying more taxes relatively, the south Indian states have been neglected by the Centre through either insufficient funding and/or delayed funding. Examples of this are flood emergencies in Kerala and Karnataka in 2019,” he added. Echoing the same, Milana Neela, a postgraduate student at Bangalore University, said, “I personally feel the whole PM CARES fund is a PR stunt. I also see how the state governments are actually working kind of well to tackle this humanitarian crisis. I don't see the same motivation or determination by the centre. There is no clarity or structure in their thoughts and messages. Instead of participating in this PR activity, I think it's much better to contribute for the CMRF. It's like helping ourselves.”
Body 2:
from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2UXA5eG
via IFTTT
ASHA workers on COVID-19 surveillance assaulted in Bengaluru
The residents thought it was an NRC exercise and allegedly gave an announcement in the local mosque to not give any information.
A team of Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers in Bengaluru were allegedly surrounded, shoved and had their bags and phones snatched by residents of a locality. The incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon in Saraipalya in the Byatarayanapura area of the city. Seven teams of ASHA workers were spreading awareness about coronavirus and collecting information from residents, particularly asking if they are showing any symptoms of the disease. Between 12:30 and 1 pm on Wednesday, a team of workers were allegedly stopped and surrounded by residents in Saraipalya. "An announcement was made in the local mosque telling residents to not give any information to us, especially phone numbers," says Shweta, an ASHA worker who was working in the area. Shwetha's mother Krishnaveni was also one of the health workers conducting surveillance and she said that she was surrounded and her bag and phone were snatched away by the local residents ಮನೆ ಬಾಗಿಲಿಗೆ ಬಂದು #Covid19 ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಜಾಗೃತಿ ಮೂಡಿಸುವ ವೈದ್ಯರು, ನರ್ಸ್ ಗಳು, ಆಶಾ ಕಾರ್ಯಕರ್ತರು ಹಾಗೂ ಈ ಸಂಕಷ್ಟದ ಸಮಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಹಗಲಿರುಳು ದುಡಿಯುತ್ತಿರುವವರು ದೇವರ ಸಮಾನ. ಅವರನ್ನು ಗೌರವದಿಂದ ನೋಡಿ. ಅವರ ಮೇಲೆ ಹಲ್ಲೆ ನಡೆದರೆ ನೋಡಿಕೊಂಡು ಸುಮ್ಮನೆ ಕೂರಲಾಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ಎಚ್ಚರವಿರಲಿ!! pic.twitter.com/1pAJOEZCrE — B Sriramulu (@sriramulubjp) April 2, 2020 According to the ASHA workers, the local residents feared that the collection of information was related to the National Register of Citizens (NRC). "The same thing had happened earlier in Hegde Nagar. The people we met were confused that this survey was somehow related to the NRC," Shwetha said. "The mobile numbers we had put together were crossed out by them," Shwetha added. BJP leader and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Ashwath Narayan condemned the incident. "They (ASHA workers) were doing surveillance after a house help in the locality was infected with coronavirus. ASHA workers were visiting each and every house to collect information," he told reporters. He added that the incident had demoralised ASHA workers and that he had directed the jurisdictional police station to register a case in connection with the incident. Health officials stated that ASHA workers will be accompanied by a policemen while collecting information in the area. ASHA workers in Karnataka have been tasked with spreading awareness about coronavirus. They are also going door-to-door to collect information from residents about those who have returned from a foreign country and those who are showing symptoms of the virus.
Body 2:
from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2wcmUhW
via IFTTT
Karnataka govt to supply free milk to the poor until April 14
The closure of state borders and hotels amid the lockdown has meant that the dairy industry is now replete with lakhs of litres of excess milk.
file photo
The Karnataka government is set to supply free milk to the poor amid the coronavirus lockdown, up till April 14. This is most likely due to the excess milk that is being produced in the state, which milk producers have to dispose it off or it will go to waste. "We have decided to supply milk free of cost to the poor till April 14. The district administrations have been entrusted with making arrangements for it," Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said at a press briefing on Wednesday, after chairing a meeting of a group of ministers. The large amount of milk being produced in Karnataka by cooperatives like Nandini is usually transported to other states, and sold to the hotel industry. However, all that has changed with the lockdown, which has closed state borders, and shuttered all establishments, including the hotel industry. This means that large milk corporations are staring at an excess production of lakhs of litres of milk in Karnataka every day. However, production cannot be stopped or slowed, and the cooperatives have no choice but to accept the milk from dairy farmers. Nandini had previously said that they will look to convert all the unsold milk to powder form. The CM conceded that the farmers have been caught in a dilemma due to the nationwide lockdown as they were not able to sell, harvest or transport their produce. “I have given clear directions to the police to ensure the uninterrupted movement of essential goods in the state,” the Chief Minister said. BS Yediyurappa had said earlier that the farmers were able to transport their produce to other states but now it has stopped, owing to which the prices have crashed. With PTI inputs
Body 2:
from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2JuWYB2
via IFTTT
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)