Bengaluru records 1,525 new COVID-19 patients, state has 71 more deaths

Coronavirus

The cases in Bengaluru city have been steadily increasing, due to which the government has imposed a lockdown from July 14-22.

TNM Staff

PTI/Bengaluru

As many as 1,525 new COVID-19 patients were added to Bengaluru's list on Sunday, making it the highest number of new cases in a single day, so far. Karnataka reported 2,672 new cases and 71 new deaths on Sunday. As many as 45 of the patients who died were from Bengaluru city. The cases in Bengaluru city have been steadily increasing, due to which the government has imposed a lockdown from July 14-22. Bengaluru currently has 14,067 active COVID-19 patients, which is 63.6% of the total active cases in Karnataka. The state has a total of 22,746 patients in isolation facilities. The other patients who died were from districts including Dakshina Kannada (5), three each in Belagavi, Davangere, Mysuru, Chamarajanagara and Hassan, two each in Bagalkote and Haveri and one each in Vijayapura Dharwad, Koppal, Chamarajanagar and Tumakuru. As many as 532 patients are lodged in Intensive Care Units across the state, of which 314 patients are in Bengaluru. 693 patients were discharged on Sunday taking the state’s total number of recovered cases to 15,409. On Sunday, 20,050 samples were sent for testing, taking the state’s total number of samples tested to 8,39,074.  According to the Karnataka COVID-19 war room, of the total number of active cases, 3,760 patients are in the high-risk category. The state’s death rate is at 1.5%. Of the total number of COVID-19 patients, 18% of them are primary and secondary contacts and 10% of them have Influenza-Like Illness or Severe Acute Respiratory Illness. According to the health department, the death rate among high-risk patients stands at 6.3%. 24% of the total number of cases were people with domestic travel history, while 2% of the total number of patients with COVID-19 are international travellers.  As many as 16.3% of the beds in COVID-19 hospitals have been occupied according to the war room data.

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Shortage of blood in Bengaluru, blood banks seek help from healthy persons

Health

Three blood banks told TNM that there is an acute crisis of blood in Bengaluru and with the spurt in dengue cases, there is a demand for platelets too

Soumya Chatterjee

Representational image/PTI

If you are a healthy individual, you can make a difference during this health crisis, by donating blood. Scores of blood banks in Bengaluru are running out of reserves.  Other than thalassemia patients, patients suffering from bleeding disorders, anaemia, chronic kidney disease, pregnancy complications and trauma need blood. Rotary TTK Blood Bank, run by the Bangalore Medical Services Trust in Indiranagar, caters to around 100 thalassemia (a blood disorder) patients in a month, in addition to the perennial blood needs, including those of trauma cases.  Generally, the Rotary TTK Blood Bank in Indiranagar would collect 3,000 units of blood in a month and the surplus would be given to government hospitals like Victoria Hospital and Bowring and Lady Curzon hospitals for free. But now, the crisis, which started since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, has intensified, so much that the blood bank is able to collect only 200 units of blood in a month.  Dr Narsima Swamy, medical in-charge of the blood bank, said that the latest lockdown in Bengaluru, which is set start from Tuesday night, will further worsen the problem. “We have set up a blood collection van, which is going to some busy localities in the city and encouraging people to donate blood. Many volunteered to donate blood. With the latest lockdown and restriction in movement, we will not be able to find anybody,” he told TNM. Dr Narsima also pointed out that there is a demand for platelets (tiny blood cells) due to some cases of dengue in Bengaluru. “Platelets have a shelf life of only five days; so there is always a requirement of fresh blood,” he added.   Dr Namitha A Kumar, who heads the Open Platform for Rare Diseases and a thalassemia patient herself, said, ”We, as thalassemia patients, have been facing this blood shortage crisis since March and it has now intensified. We are forced to network and find donors on our own. Earlier, we could hold blood camps in IT parks and other large offices, where we could collect the number of blood units we required. Since these office spaces have been shut and due to the fear of COVID-19, there is less access to donors,” she said.  So far, those working in the sector said whatever little government intervention has taken place, has failed to make any real improvement. “While we personally coordinate and gather some donors, we had asked the government to arrange transport for these donors. However, they pick up and drop the donor only at a blood bank closer to the donor’s house, and not the designated blood collection point, like a hospital. This system does not work for us,” she said. It is almost the same picture at one of the major non-government medical facilities in St John’s Hospital in Bengaluru. Dr Sitalakshmi, Head of Blood Transfusion at St John’s Medical College Hospital, said the problem has become much worse in the past week due to the recent spike in daily COVID-19 cases and the general fear among the public. “There is obviously a lot less number of donors walking in. We are still continuing to arrange for blood by calling in our regular pool of donors. But, we can call only a small number of people to our blood bank daily in order to maintain the COVID-19 precautions,” she said. “The situation is bad as we are forced to tell patient parties that we can’t help,” said Deepak Suman, technical director at the Lion’s Blood Bank in Bengaluru, adding that there is a shortage of both blood and platelets.  How to donate blood Even if there is a small group of people who would like to donate blood, the team from Rotary TTK Blood Bank in Indiranagar will come to a designated place to collect blood, following all standard operating procedures and COVID-19 related precautions.  Volunteers can call Aparna at 90089 92192 for the same. Others can walk into the blood bank located near New Thipassandra Post Office to donate blood.  To donate blood at St John’s Medical College Hospital, donors can contact 9591990365 for details. Deepak Suman of the Lion’s Blood Bank said they can arrange transport to and fro for willing donors in Bengaluru. Donors can call, SMS or WhatsApp him at 9845315670.

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Residents of Bengaluru’s Electronic City protest as waste plant allegedly releases leachate

Civic

BBMP officials, however, denied that it was leachate that was released.

Soumya Chatterjee

Even as Bengaluru is all set to go into a complete lockdown starting Tuesday night to cope with the continued spike in COVID-19 cases, a section of residents in Electronic City started a protest on Saturday. The residents sat on the roads leading up to the solid waste management plant in Electronic City Phase-II from the Hosur Road side to stop trucks carrying garbage from the city from entering the plant. However, local police who were alerted swung into action and removed the protesters. Residents have blocked the road from Chikkanagamangala in protest against this ghastly act of #BBMP@BlrCityPolice is on the spot When will you stop in humane treatment of people living in vicinity of this plant? @BBMPSWMSplComm @BBMPCOMM @BBMP_MAYOR @drashwathcn @nimmasuresh pic.twitter.com/D2phM239iE — Electronic City Rising (@ECityRising) July 11, 2020 The residents were protesting because the plant allegedly started releasing leachate (toxic liquid generated in mixed waste containers) on Friday evening. As a result, the unpleasant smell from the plant, which is already unpopular in the neighbourhood due to the stench it emanates, increased multifold, the residents alleged. Horrendously leachate is released from MSW plant at Chikkanagamangala. It can't more shameful than this act of #BBMP@BBMPSWMSplComm @Randeep_Dev. Act now & provide relief to thousands of residents of E-City@Captain_Mani72@karnatakaspcb @BSYBJP#ShutDownSWMPlant pic.twitter.com/Xaf2U6X4dZ — Electronic City Rising (@ECityRising) July 10, 2020 Pranay Dubey, a resident and activist who is part of the Electronic City Rising group, said, “The situation has gone from bad to worse. It was literally awful on Friday night. We citizens need a resolution from this menace created by the BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike). We’re facing a double whammy of poisonous stink from the plant and now BBMP has started releasing untreated leachate from the plant which will spoil underground water and other water bodies in the vicinity of the plant.” “The situation is pathetic now because due to COVID-19 restrictions, residents have to remain at home but the BBMP has made this place uninhabitable,” he added. Tweets about the same by the residents tagging the BBMP Commissioner for Special Waste Management Commissioner did not elicit any response from the authorities.   However, Vishwanath, Chief Engineer, Solid Waste Management, BBMP denied it was leachate that was released. “I spoke to the plant manager and some modifications that have been proposed will soon be implemented in the plant and the existing problems will be sorted. Rather than leachate, it was rainwater that had overflowed into the plant from a nearby lake bund. That water got mixed with some colour meant for painting the garbage trucks, which made the water look like leachate,” he told TNM. This is not the first time that the residents have raised red flags – since late 2018, they have complained that the plant in its present form was the cause of many of their ailments. While the plant was set up in 2015 and stopped operations shortly after its commissioning, it started operating in 2018 which is when local residents started complaining about its ill-effects. While the plant is meant to compost organic waste, BBMP’s alleged mismanagement meant that it became a warehouse for mixed waste, and till date despite many complaints waste is burnt. Acknowledging the sustained protests by the residents nearby, Deputy Chief Minister Dr Ashwathnarayan CN had in October 2019 written to the BBMP to consider shifting the waste plant to a less inhabited area. Incidentally, even the chairperson of the state level committee of the National Green Tribunal, Justice Subhash B Adi, had observed that mixed waste of the plant is burnt.

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Bengaluru Christ University students protest decision to hold online examinations

Education

Students say they are being forced to choose between an online exam on July 13 or a physical examination when the colleges open again, but without a preparatory leave.

Sanyukta Dharmadhikari

Wikimedia Commons by Rameshng

Several non-final year students of Christ University in Bengaluru have voiced protests over the University’s decision to hold the semester-end examinations, which had been postponed in March due to the lockdown, on July 13. The exams will be held online, a decision that the students say was taken without consulting them. The students have said that in the middle of a pandemic and a lockdown in many areas, students are being forced to choose between an online exam in one day or a physical examination when the colleges open again, but without a preparatory leave. “Our last class was on March 10 and shortly after that, we all went back home. In April and May, we did not have any classes and later we were all provisionally passed. In mid-June, online classes for the next year started and internal assessments for the new year too were held on June 30,” says Ajay Raj*, a law student at Christ who just started his fourth year. However, around mid-June, the University informed the students that they either have to opt for the online exam or appear for a physical exam when the university opens but they will not get any preparatory leave. So students have no choice but to choose the online exam, Deepak adds.  Students told TNM that the University has charged them Rs 500 extra aside from the examination fees already paid by students to install the new server for online exams. However, the University has not made any arrangements to ensure every student has proper access to an internet connection or a system to write the exams. “I cannot afford a Wifi connection. The mobile network I use allows me only 1 GB data per day. So to appear for the exam, I will need to buy a 2GB recharge every day. I don’t get internet access inside my house so I have to sit in the balcony or my terrace. And if my internet connection is snapped, even for 2 minutes, I will be flagged as resorting to unfair means and my result will be withheld,” another student at Christ tells TNM.  He adds that when classes for the new semester began on June 3, when his internet connection was briefly disrupted due to the rains, he lost attendance for that class.  Another student told TNM that when they were all sent home in the beginning of the semester, they did not expect to be away for so long and most students have left their study material and books behind.  “We are not in possession of necessary notes. Personally, I live in a PG, I left my notes back at the PG and I am left looking for online material which is not readily available. This is just my case. There are scores of people stuck like this. Even teachers are not in possession of their own materials,” Rajeev*, another student at Christ, tells TNM. An official notification sent out by Christ advises students to take the online examination conducted from July 13 since there is uncertainty on when and how long it will take to conduct the on-campus examinations, and that a long gap in taking the examinations may pose its own challenges in the familiarity of the learnings of the courses. “But we have been studying for six new subjects for the past two weeks. We gave tests for that too. Now we have to study for subjects that we learnt way back in March. But if we don’t appear now, we’ll have to appear in the middle of a new semester without any preparatory leave. The University is not giving us any choice,” Ajay added. An internal poll was conducted by the students and 90 per cent of the 2,000-odd students who took part in the poll have sought that the online examination be cancelled and the students be provisionally passed based on internal marks. However, students say that the guidelines by the University Grants Commission are only for government institutes and will not apply to Christ. TNM tried reaching out to Christ University’s PRO, Rosh Joy, for an official statement from the university However, multiple calls to the authorities went unanswered. (*names changed)

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Bengaluru lockdown: Three main reasons why the govt decided to impose a lockdown

Coronavirus

As the BBMP was largely unprepared to tackle the sudden spike in COVID-19 cases, the government is hoping to manage backlogs.

Theja Ram

Representation photo

The Karnataka government announced a lockdown in Bengaluru between July 14 and 22. The decision came in the backdrop of the increasing number of patients contracting COVID-19, with Bengaluru alone having 12,793 active cases.  Karnataka’s Department of Health and Family Welfare had several primary reasons to impose the week-long lockdown. Over the last two weeks, at least 1,000 patients tested positive for the coronavirus every day in Bengaluru city, making it difficult for the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike to trace patients, overcome testing backlogs and mobilise manpower for tracing primary and secondary contacts.  Tracing patients with COVID-19 The BBMP gets its daily list of patients, who tested positive in Bengaluru from the Indian Council of Medical Research every evening. With the lack of adequate manpower to trace patients on ICMR’s daily line list, the BBMP requires time and a lockdown can help clear backlogs, said Director of the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Omprakash Patil.  “BBMP has to identify which zones these patients on ICMR’s list are located. They are able to identify most of these but there are still some backlogs. Some patients call and tell BBMP themselves due to this. With the lockdown, it will be easier to clear backlogs and identify people since they will have to remain home,” Director Omprakash Patil said.  Clear backlogs in tracing primary and secondary contacts, curbing spread The BBMP is in the process of forming booth-level committees in various zones in the city. Members of these committees will begin tracing primary and secondary contacts of over 60% of the patients currently in isolation. BBMP Commissioner BH Anil Kumar said that booth-level teams would be ready by July 14 and its members would begin the tracing process during the lockdown.  “There are many people who are not aware of whether they are primary or secondary contacts of patients. Since they don’t know, how will they quarantine themselves? If any of them are asymptomatic carriers, they may not even know that they have COVID-19 as they have not been traced. This lockdown is to ensure that such people do not come into contact with others and this can be done only by restricting movement,” Omprakash Patil added.  Clearing testing backlogs Last week, there were approximately 11,000 samples pending for testing. Although Bengaluru has 22 approved testing labs, most of the samples are sent to government labs in National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), according to the Health Department. “During this period, we will ensure that samples are distributed evenly between private and government labs. We are also in the process of creating more COVID-19 Care Centres. All district level-hospitals will have at least 125 oxygen beds. 70% of the work is almost complete and it will be ready by the end of the month,” Omprakash Patil said.  The oxygen beds in taluk-level hospitals will be ready by the first week of August, he added.  The BBMP and the Department of Health and Family Welfare started using rapid antigen test kits on Saturday to clear testing backlogs. However, sources in the Health Department said that these tests are effective only in clusters and even if a person turns positive or negative in an antigen test, an RC-PCR test would be required to confirm whether the person has COVID-19 or not. “Antigen tests are not RNA tests. If a person is negative in an antigen test, it could be possible they would be positive in an RC-PCR test. At cluster level, it will be easier to identify those who are positive via antigen tests and reduce the load for RC-PCR tests,” he added.   

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Karnataka Tourism Minister CT Ravi tests positive for coronavirus

Coronavirus

Minister Ravi tweeted that he turned positive on his second test.

TNM Staff

Karnataka Minister for Tourism, and Kannada and Culture CT Ravi on Sunday tweeted that he has tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Minister Ravi said that he underwent two tests this past week in which he was tested negative the first time and positive the second time. With this, CT Ravi is the first minister to test positive for coronavirus in Karnataka.  “Since one test returned negative and one returned positive, I got a third test done today (Sunday). I am waiting for the third umpire’s resolution,” CT Ravi’s tweet reads.  ಬೆಳಿಗ್ಗೆ ಸೂರ್ಯ ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ, ಅರ್ಧಕಟಿ ಚಕ್ರಾಸನ, ನಾಡಿಶುದ್ದಿ ಕ್ರಿಯೆಗಳು, ಅನುಲೋಮ ವಿಲೋಮ ಪ್ರಾಣಾಯಾಮ ಪೂರ್ಣಗೊಳಿಸಿದ್ದೇನೆ. ಒಂದು ಗಂಟೆಯ ವಿವಿಧ ಯೋಗಾಭ್ಯಾಸದ ನಂತರ 10 ನಿಮಿಷ ಶವಾಸನ ಹಾಕಿದ್ದೇನೆ. ಮೇಲ್ನೋಟಕ್ಕೆ ಯಾವುದೇ ವ್ಯತ್ಯಾಸ ನನಗೆ ಗೊತ್ತಾಗಿಲ್ಲ. — C T Ravi ಸಿ ಟಿ ರವಿ (@CTRavi_BJP) July 12, 2020 Minister Ravi said that he has no symptoms and that he did yoga and pranayama on Sunday morning. “I did various asanas in yoga and pranayama at 10 am today (Sunday). I cannot see any difference in my body nor have any symptoms,” he tweeted.  CT Ravi had quarantined himself at home on July 12 after two of his associates tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The first test was conducted on July 6, which was negative. After his associates tested positive, his samples were collected on Saturday and sent for testing. He is currently at his farmhouse in Chikkamagaluru, which is his home constituency.  Earlier, MLAs from Sedam Rajkumar Telkur (BJP), Sringeri MLA Raje Gowda (Congress), Mangaluru North MLA Bharath Shetty, and Kunigal MLA HD Ranganath tested positive. Apart from this, two Members of Legislative Council MK Pranesh from the BJP and Bhoje Gowda from the JD(S) had also tested positive.  Earlier this week, Mandya MP Sumalatha Aambareesh too tested positive for the coronavirus. While physical distancing is crucial to curb the spread of the virus, ministers do not enjoy the same luxury as they have to be on the ground, in their constituencies to organise and help people in containment zones. Some MLAs are also involved in works including arranging rations kits, helping patients with COVID-19 find beds in hospitals and also help their families. However, several legislators have also cancelled their meetings and large political gatherings until the number of cases in the state reduces.  Read: Karnataka politicians take precautions after several leaders get COVID-19  

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Thirteen including TikTok ‘star’ arrested for murder of Bengaluru corporator’s nephew

Crime

The victim Vinod Kumar was the nephew of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike corporator Somasekhar from Anjanapura ward.

TNM Staff

The police in Karnataka’s Ramanagara district near Bengaluru have arrested 13 men in connection with the murder of a Bengaluru businessman Vinod Kumar, who was incidentally a nephew of a Bengaluru corporator. The murder had taken place on Wednesday. Among the 13 who were arrested is a self-proclaimed TikTok star known as TikTok Naveen or Smile Naveen, reported The Times of India. The police were quoted saying Naveen is a repeat offender who had uploaded more than 30 videos of him singing or saying Kannada film songs or dialogues. The other accused included Manjesh alias Avalahalli Manja, Srinivas, Ravi alias Ravi Kiran, Naveen, Lokesh, Arif, Pavan, Mahesh, Madhu, Raghav, Vignesh, Sunil and D Madhu, said the TOI report. Police further said that Vinod Kumar who had various other business interests other than real estate had recently started a stone crushing business in which his longtime friend a habitual offender Paramesh was heading. The investigators claimed that the murder was carried as a result of rivalry. This comes after it was widely reported that the 32-year-old real estate businessman was hacked to death in front of his two sisters in the city outskirts on Wednesday. As reported earlier, the victim Vinod Kumar was the nephew of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike corporator Somasekhar from Anjanapura ward. Reports said that Vinod had his visited his elder sister’s residence in Tataguni and the murder took place when they were returning home. Around eight persons who came on their bikes surrounded the cars and police said the victim was forced out of his car by the bike-borne men. While the men left him bleeding, his two sisters rushed him to the hospital where he was declared brought dead. The Hindu had quoted officials attached to Kaggalipura Police Station saying that the murder was carried out as a result of the land deals that Vinod Kumar he closed which possibly earned him a lot of enemies. Police had said they were also scrutinizing CCTV cameras.

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