Bengaluru reports 1,373 COVID-19 cases in a single day, highest so far

Coronavirus

The state government has set up a COVID-19 Care Centre at BIEC with 10,000-bed capacity.

TNM Staff

Representation photo

As many as 1,373 new patients tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Bengaluru on Thursday, making it the highest number of cases in a single day so far. Karnataka reported 2,282 new patients with COVID-19 on Thursday, of which over half of them were from Bengaluru city. The total number of patients currently lodged in isolation facilities, including COVID-19 Hospitals and Care Centres, now stands at 17,782.  “A centralised bed allocation system is already in place and a helpline is also established. People must not lose hope and I appeal to the citizens to cooperate with us,” Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said.  The state reported 17 new deaths due to the disease: seven in Dharwad, two each in Mysuru, Hassan and Kalaburagi, and one each in Raichur, Uttara Kannada and Tumakuru.  Of the 2,282 patients who tested positive on Thursday, 281 suffer from Influenza-Like Illness (ILI), while 32 of them have Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI).  As many as 457 patients are currently in Intensive Care Units (ICUs), of which 292 are in hospitals across Bengaluru.  957 patients were discharged on Thursday, taking the state’s total number of patients who recovered to 12,833.  20,028 samples were tested on Thursday, taking the total number of samples tested to 7,70,209.  New COVID-19 Care Centre at BIEC With the increasing number of cases in Bengaluru, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Thursday inaugurated the COVID-19 Care Centre set up at the Bengaluru International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) and inspected the facilities. It has a capacity of 10,100 beds.  “For every 100 patients, one doctor, two nurses, one support staff member, one housekeeping staff member and two BBMP marshals will be deployed. 2,200 staff members including doctors, nurses, support staff, housekeeping staff, BBMP marshals and police will be deputed,” Chief Minister Yediyurappa said.  The patients will be provided with food, recreation facilities such as TV, carrom boards, chess boards, etc.  Safety kits for the staff will be provided, especially for those monitoring the patients. In addition, a control room will be established to monitor them round-the-clock. BIEC will tie up with nearby hospitals. “Laundry facilities will be provided to wash the blankets and bedsheets of the patients. Segregation and disposal of waste will be done systematically. The Centre will take care of people who are asymptomatic and persons who are mildly-infected. This system is established to enhance availability of beds and treatment in hospitals for those who are in critical condition,” Yediyurappa added.

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Case fatality rate declines in Bengaluru even as COVID-19 cases rise

coronavirus

A senior IAS officer working in COVID-19 management said that there has been a significant improvement in Bengaluru, in the last three weeks where the case fatality rate was concerned.

Soumya Chatterjee

Bengaluru has seen a massive surge of COVID-19 cases in the past month and while the positivity rate (positive cases per 100 tests) has been climbing, data shows that the case fatality rate (deaths per 100 cases) has been steadily declining. Out of the total 12,509 cumulative cases, 7594 (more than half) of them have come in the last eight days. With a total of 1,53,123 tests conducted in Bengaluru till date, the positivity rate stands at 8.17%. Data presented by the State COVID-19 War Room shows that accounting for the last 30 days, the positivity rate for Bengaluru has been at 14.1% way more than the state average of 8% for the same period. The same report finds that the positivity rate for Bengaluru for the last 7 days has been at 22.5% compared to the state average of 12%. At the same time, with the total COVID-19 related deaths at 178 in the city, the case fatality ratio is at 1.76%. Till date, Karnataka has seen a total of 470 COVID-19 deaths, of which 177 deaths were from Bengaluru. Karnataka’s average case fatality ratio is at 1.6% worse than that of Bengaluru which is at 1.76%. This is contrasting to May 31 figures, when the case fatality ratio for COVID-19 for the IT capital was at 6.82% and the positivity rate was at 1.17%. At that time, the number of cases were 386 after 33,070 tests were conducted. Even at the end of June, the stats were very different with Karnataka’s CFR at 1.6% and Bengaluru’s CFR at 2.1%. Speaking to TNM, Dr Trilok Chandra, senior IAS officer, heading the COVID-19 Critical Care Support Committee, said there has been a significant improvement in the last three weeks. “See case fatality in Bengaluru has come down if you see from three weeks back. The reason is two folds. One is that we had started a tele-ICU facility for Bengaluru district just like we were doing with all other districts and this has helped us a lot. Secondly, there has been an increase in case load due to increased testing leading to more asymptomatic patients coming in as well,” he told TNM. However, when asked if the age group of patients testing positive played a part, he said that does not seem to be a major factor and the patients are well spread across all age groups. The COVID-19 deaths per million for Karnataka as of JUly 8 is at 7.7 and the same for Bengaluru is at 18.4. 18.4 is the worst death per million figure for entire Karnataka with Ballari having a death per million figure of 14.5 at a distant second worst. At the end of June, the death per million for COVID-19 patients per million population was at 4 for Karnataka while the same for Bengaluru was at 9.9.

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Viral message falsely says principal of Bengaluru’s Bishop Cotton Girls’ School slapped parent

Fake News

The video is purported to be from a school in Bihar.

TNM Staff

Screenshot

Bengaluru’s Bishop Cotton Girls’ School on Thursday issued a clarification after a WhatsApp message, stating that the school’s principal had slapped a parent, went viral on social media.  In the video, the woman purported to be the principal of a school in Bihar’s Patna, is seen arguing with a group of parents, who question why fees for library and transportation are being charged when students were not using these facilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Parents can be seen gathered around the courtyard of the school, demanding to know why additional fees were asked. The people in the video can be seen coversing in Hindi.  However, the WhatsApp forward falsely claimed that the woman in the video is the principal of Bishop Cotton Girls’ School, located along St Mark’s Road in Bengaluru’s Central Business District. "Bishop cotton Girl's School  principal slaps a parent when she is questioning her on why library fees, transportation fees etc were being charged even when the school was closed during COVID-19 crisis," the fake message reads.    “I, Dr. Mrs. Lavanya Mithran, am the principal of the institution. We take pride in the values and the social concern that our school espouses. We are deeply hurt to note that some persons have uploaded a video to facebook and other social media that claim that 'Bishop cotton girls' school principal slaps a parent',” the statement from Bishop Cotton Girls’ School’s principal read.  Dr Lavanya Mithran stated that she does not know who the people in the video are and that it has nothing to do with Bishop Cotton Girls’ School.  “We have learnt that the said video is of some school in the state of Bihar we are not sure, however. Please note that our institution does not have any branch at all. We have received several calls from our parents and well-wishers who have alerted the uploaders that the video has nothing to do with our institution. We are deeply grateful to them,” the statement added.  Principal Lavanya further stated that several parents have allegedly lodged a complaint with authorities to take action against those spreading misinformation.  

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Karnataka ASHA workers threaten to boycott work from July 10 over wages, lack of PPE

Coronavirus

ASHA workers’ representatives said that around 70 workers have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began.

Prajwal Bhat

ASHA Workers in Davangere, Karnataka

Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers in Karnataka have threatened to boycott work from Friday and have written to Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa about raising their wages and giving them adequate personal protective equipment (PPE). The workers have been protesting since June 30 and are now planning to boycott work from Friday, until their demands are considered. The week-long campaign saw memorandums being submitted to the respective district collectors and tahsildars as well as numerous MLAs and Ministers of the state.  A statement released by the Karnataka Rajya Samyuktha Asha Karyakarteyara Sangha on Thursday said that the workers are left with no choice but to join the state-wide movement demanding better wages and protective gear.  The Sangha, in a letter to Yediyurappa on June 30, requested that the remuneration for ASHA workers in Karnataka be raised to a fixed amount of Rs 12,000 per month. In the letter, ASHA workers highlighted how each ASHA worker is given fixed wages of Rs 4,000 and are paid an additional Rs 2,000 for eight different routine works and Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 for activity-oriented works. The overall monthly wages, including the incentive-based add-ons, come up to between Rs 8,000 and Rs 9,000. But the workers say that there are challenges to ensure they receive their incentive-based payment. “Severe problems arise when it comes to feeding the entries of the activities executed by ASHA workers. In many instances, the web portal through which the entries need to be updated may not work all the time thanks to power fluctuations and many technical/non-technical reasons. As a result of which, many of their works remain un-updated,which refrains them from receiving any incentives for the activities they have done,” reads the letter. ASHA workers are trained to be the interface between the community and the public healthcare system in India. A representative of ASHA workers also met Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President DK Shivakumar and sought his support for the boycott. DK Shivakumar said that the Congress too will write to Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa asking for higher wages and protective equipment for the health workers.  This is not a new issue and memorandums seeking a revision of wages were first sent in March. Since the coronavirus outbreak began in India, ASHA workers have been tasked with going door-to-door, spreading awareness about the coronavirus and crucially, collecting information about those who are likely to be infected with the virus. This involves speaking to people and recording the temperatures of those who recently returned from abroad and those living in containment zones. During this period, ASHA workers constantly came in contact with people who were quarantined at home. Several ASHA workers were attacked when they turned up to conduct surveys in places with reported coronavirus cases. Nagalakshmi D, the State Secretary of the union of ASHA workers in Karnataka said that most workers were doing their job without adequate protective equipment. “Initially, there was no equipment provided until mid-April even though ASHA workers were going door-to-door for over a month by then. The state government should ensure that the equipment is provided regularly to the workers,” Nagalakshmi told TNM. In the letter, workers have asked for face shields, N-95 masks, hand sanitizers, and gloves for all ASHA workers. Nagalakshmi pointed out that as many as 42,000 ASHA workers will be boycotting work from Friday. “Around 70 workers have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began. Our safety should be a priority for the government and we should be paid higher fixed wages,” Nagalakshmi said. 

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Bengaluru gets 8 zonal commissioners to manage COVID-19

Coronavirus

The eight zonal commissioners are tasked with curbing the spread of COVID-19 through effective management.

TNM Staff

Representation photo

The Karnataka government on Thursday appointed Zonal Commissioners for Bengaluru City, who will be in charge of curbing the spread of COVID-19. Karnataka Chief Secretary Vijay Bhaskar appointed eight zonal commissioners who will supervise the civic body Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s (BBMP) tasks in ensuring that contact tracing is done in a timely manner and that COVID-19 patients get beds in hospitals or care centres.  The eight IAS officers appointed as Zonal Commissioners include Tushar Girinath (East Zone), Rajendra Kumar Kataria (West Zone), KP Manivannan (Bommanahalli Zone), Naveen Raj Singh (Yelahanka Zone), Munish Moudgil (South Zone), N Manjula (Mahadevapura Zone), PC Jaffer (Dasarahalli Zone) and R Vishal (Rajarajeshwari Nagar). “Exercising powers under the Disaster Management Act 2005, the State Executive Committee is appointing these officers to effectively control the spread of COVID-19 in Bengaluru City,” the order from Vijay Bhaskar states. The Zonal Commissioners will oversee the functioning of zonal coordinators, suggest containment and management measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, supervise BBMP’s Joint Commissioners, BBMP’s health officials, the civic body’s staff, and coordinate with necessary departments in the state government. Sources in the Chief Minister’s office said that the Zonal Commissioners were appointed because officials currently monitoring the situation in Bengaluru are struggling to trace contacts and ensure that COVID-19 patients get hospital beds. “These Zonal Commissioners will also look after the zonal-level call centres that will be set up to resolve issues like finding beds, tracing contacts and monitoring those in quarantine by coordinating with volunteers who monitor those in quarantine at the block level,” the senior official said. The BBMP has so far failed to set up an automated mechanism to allocate beds in COVID-19 hospitals and care centres. The BBMP, which was supposed to set up the automated system during the lockdown, has not done so resulting in several patients running from pillar to post to get beds. In addition, contacts of 70% of the people who tested positive in the last two weeks have not been traced, resulting in lack of monitoring of the spread as there is a gap in the existing mechanism to monitor primary and secondary contacts who are supposed to be traced and quarantined. Read: Bengaluru still has no real-time database of number of beds available for COVID-19  

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No tourists in Karnataka's Bandipur, Nagarhole wildlife sanctuaries starting July 10

Coronavirus

Mysuru Deputy Commissioner Abhiram G Shankar has warned tourists that those violating orders and entering the area would be evicted by force.

TNM Staff

Sudarshan Solairaj/Wikimedia Commons/Representation Photo

The Mysuru district administration in Karnataka on Thursday issued an order to shut down all tourist activities in Bandipur and Nagarhole sanctuaries due to an increasing number of tourists in the area amid the coronavirus pandemic. Authorities have also imposed travel restrictions in HD Kote taluk. Mysuru Deputy Commissioner Abhiram G Shankar issued an order on Thursday stating that no tourists from districts outside HD Kote, or other states and countries can enter the taluk until further orders starting July 10. Additionally, tourists will not be allowed to book accomodation, either online or offline.  "Hotels, homestays, lodging facilities and home owners must not rent rooms or homes out to tourists coming from other districts, states and countries to HD Kote taluk, Bandipur or Nagarhole," Abhiram G Shankar's order stated.  DC Abhiram Shankar has warned tourists that those violating orders and entering HD Kote, Bandipur or Nagarhole would be evicted by force.    "All those who have already booked stays and outings are currently being informed that their booking will be cancelled. The number of (COVID-19) cases are increasing in Mysuru district and tourist movement will only increase the probability of the infection spreading," Abhiram Shankar said.  The Deputy Commissioner said that the move was a precautionary measure.    "We have noticed tourists violating physical distancing norms. People are not wearing safety gear when they step outside. Also, those who come in have to undergo quarantine, especially inter-state and foreign traveller, who are not following instructions. Hence, this was done as a precautionary measure," he added.  On Tuesday, Kodagu Deputy Commissioner Anis Kanmani banned entry of tourists into Kodagu district until further orders. Just like Mysuru, the Kodagu DC too ordered hotels, homestays and lodging facilities to not allow tourists from other districts, states and countries to book rooms.  On Wednesday, Karnataka Tourism Minister CT Ravi appealed to people across the country and the state to not crowd tourist areas like Hassan, Kodagu and Chikkamagaluru as these districts too have homestays and tourist attractions.  

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Karnataka, Maharashtra to set up panel to manage floods during monsoon

Rain

The joint committee will monitor and control floods if heavy rain water overflows in the Krishna river basin across the twin states to protect lives and property.

IANS

Representation photo

Karnataka and Maharashtra are going to set up a joint committee to manage floods in the Krishna river basin during the monsoon, when heavy rains lash both states, an official said on Thursday. "The joint committee will monitor and control floods if heavy rain water overflows in the Krishna river basin across the twin states to protect lives and property," the official told IANS after state water resources minister Ramesh Jarkiholi met his Maharashtra counterpart Jayant Patil in Mumbai on Wednesday. The committee will have the state-run Neeravari Nigam chief engineer and its superintendent as members from Karnataka and their counterparts from Maharashtra. Heavy and widespread monsoon rains in August 2019 resulted in Krishna and Bheema rivers overflowing from Maharashtra and flooding Bagalkot, Vijapura and Belagavi districts, resulting in death and damage in the state's northwest region. "The committee will also ensure coordination between the two states to avoid flooding if the rivers and their tributaries turn spate due to heavy rains in their catchment areas," said the official. The two ministers also discussed the sharing of the Krishna water during summer and notifications of the Krishna Tribunal award for both the states. "The states will urge the central government to notify the Krishna Tribunal Award at the earliest for using the upstream river water allocated to them along with Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in the downstream," added the official. Both the states will lead a joint delegation to the Centre after the Covid-19 crisis for gazette notification of the tribunal award. Bagalakot, Belagavi, Kalaburagi, Raichur, Vijayapura and Yadigiri districts in the state's Deccan plateau face acute shortage of drinking water as they are in the country's second most arid region after Rajasthan. As one of the largest dams in Maharashtra's south-west region, Koyana reservoir is located across its river at Mahabaleshwar in Satara district, while Ujjani dam is across Bhima, a tributary of Krishna river in Solapur district. Though the 3-member tribunal, set up in April 1969 under the chairmanship of R.S. Bachawat to adjudicate the Krishna river water utilization among its basin states, gave its final verdict in May 1976, it was challenged by then undivided Andhra Pradesh for more allocation of the water. As the second biggest river in peninsular India, the 1,300km Krishna river originates near Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra and enters Karnataka after covering 303km and travels 480km in the southern state to cross into Telangana and Andhra Pradesh before joining the Bay of Bengal in the east.

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