Only god can save us from coronavirus: Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu

Coronavirus

People should continue to take precautions, like wearing a mask and observing physical distancing, the state’s health minister added.

TNM Staff

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As Karnataka continued to witness a steep rise in COVID-19 cases, Karnataka Health Minister on Wednesday said that only god can save the people of the state from the coronavirus pandemic. "Only god has to save us from the virus. However, people should be made aware of the infection so that they wear masks and maintain physical distancing," state health minister B Sriramulu told reporters in Chitradurga, 205 km northwest of Bengaluru. Noting that the infection does not differentiate between the rich, poor, police, doctors, politicians or legislators, Sriramulu said the communicable disease could rise to an alarming level in the coming two months, as the cases were rising daily across the world. "Who can control coronavirus? In the present situation, only god has to save us. The people should become aware of its (the virus's) consequences. If we have made mistakes, we are ready to face punishment for them," said Sriramulu, who is the ruling BJP's legislator from the Molakalmuru reserved assembly segment in the district. Refuting the opposition Congress's charge that the cases were rising in the state due to negligence by ministers, officials and legislators, Sriramulu said Karnataka was performing better than other states, till the cases began to steadily increase since the lockdown was eased across the country and added that people were moving in violation of the guidelines. A record 3,176 cases were reported from across the southern state on Wednesday, taking the COVID-19 tally to 47,253 cases in the state. Karnataka now has 27,853 active cases and 18,466 have been discharged. 928 people succumbed to the virus till date, with Karnataka recording 87 deaths in the last 24 hours. On Wednesday, 1,975 positive cases were recorded in Bengaluru, which is under a lockdown from 8 pm on July 15 to 5 am on July 22. Bengaluru now has 22,944 total cases of COVID-19, including 17,051 active cases. 5,455 have been discharged so far, with 463 recovering on Wednesday. 437 people in Bengaluru have died of the infection, with 60 deaths recorded in the city in the last 24 hours.

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Bengaluru has 5598 active containment zones, adds 2146 new ones in a day

Coronavirus

Out of 198 wards in Bengaluru, only two wards have less than 50 coronavirus cases.

TNM Staff

Coutesy: BBMP War Room report

Bengaluru added 2,146 new containment zones on July 15, bringing the total active containment zones in the city to 5,598, as per the data put out by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). From 138 wards that had over 50 coronavirus cases on July 14, the number went up to 196 on July 15. This means that only two more wards under BBMP do not have over 50 cases. Till date, Bengaluru has reported 7,053 containment zones, some of which have now been marked as ‘returned to normal.’ It should be noted that the BBMP did not notify any new containment zones on July 14, and the backlog could explain the sudden spike in the number of new containment zones on July 15. Containment zones Among the containment zones, Bengaluru’s south zone has the highest number of areas that have been cordoned off, and Dasarahalli has the least. Here is the breakdown on the number of active containment zones in Bengaluru. A total of 6,371 streets in Bengaluru have been identified as containment zones, along with 621 apartment complexes, 25 slum areas and one hotel. Bengaluru reported 1,975 new COVID-19 patients on Wednesday. This takes the city’s total active cases to 17,051. Wards with over 50 cases Some of the new additions to the wards with over 50 cases as on July 15 are Yelahanka Satellite Town, Kodigehalli, Kuvempu Nagar, Hebbala, Radhakrishna Temple Ward, CV Raman Nagar, and Kadugodi, among many others. South zone continues to have the most number of coronavirus positive cases as well as active cases, followed by west and east zones respectively. Shantala Nagar ward in the east zone has reported the highest number of coronavirus cases in the last 10 days. On July 15, it reported 40 cases. Wards like Chamrajpet, Thanisandra, BTM Layout, Malleshwaram, Basavanagudi, Rajaji Nagar, and Bommanahalli have also reported 15 or more cases in the last 24 hours. Bengaluru Urban has the highest number of coronavirus cases in Karnataka. The state has 27,853 COVID-19 patients under treatment and a total of 47,253 patients have been reported till date. Bengaluru is currently under a week-long lockdown till July 22, implemented to control and curb further spread of the novel coronavirus.

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Inspector general: Medicare chief broke rules on her publicity contracts

HHS watchdog finds Seema Verma mishandled millions of dollars in federal contracts that ultimately benefited friends, former Trump officials.

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Karnataka reports 3176 COVID-19 cases, 1975 new cases in Bengaluru

Coronavirus

Bengaluru currently has 17,051 active cases.

Alithea Stephanie Mounika

PTI

In the latest bulletin released by the Karnataka state health department, 3176 new cases of coronavirus were reported in the state as of Wednesday evening. This is the highest increase of coronavirus cases in the state, on a single day, as other districts have also reported an uptick in cases. The new reported cases take the tally of the total active cases of coronavirus in Karnataka to 27,853. The state has also reported that 87 people have succumbed to the virus on this date. Out of the total cases, Bengaluru Urban district has reported 1975 cases of coronavirus, taking the total active cases in the state capital city to 17,051. Dharwada has reported the second highest cases of coronavirus with 139 cases. Ballari district reported 136 cases of coronavirus, while Mysuru reported 99 new cases, and Vijayapura reported 80 cases. Dakshina Kannada district reported 76 new cases of coronavirus, and Kalaburagi reported 67 new cases in the district. Meanwhile, Udupi district has reported 52 new cases in the district. Yadgir district reported 49 cases, Uttara Kannada reported 48 cases, and Belagavi reported 41 new cases. Other districts have each reported less than 40 new cases of coronavirus. The state has reported that the total samples tested so far, since the first case of coronavirus in the state has crossed 9 lakh tests. On this day, 22,204 samples were tested. Karnataka has reported that 1076 people have been discharged after they have recovered from coronavirus, taking the cumulative recovered patients in the state to 18,466 cases. So far, Karnataka has reported a total of 47,253 cases of coronavirus in the state. The state reported that 597 patients are currently taking treatment in ICUs in various parts of the state. Bengaluru has reported the most patients, with 317 patients on ventilators. Eighty seven deaths have been reported in the state on this date. This takes the total number of deaths reported in the state due to coronavirus, to 928. Out of this, most of the people who passed away have been reported from Bengaluru, with 58 deaths. Dharwad reported 7 deaths, Mysuru reported 6 deaths, while Bagalkote and Uttara Kannada districts have reported 3 deaths each. Raichuru and Chikkaballapur have reported 2 deaths each, while Tumakuru, Mandya, Ramnagara, Chitradurga, Shivvamogga, and Chikkamagaluru each reported one death in the district.

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Why Jayanagar MLA Sowmya Reddy is frontrunner to become state Youth Congress chief

Politics

There are others vying for the post including NA Haris' son Nalappad Haris.

Theja Ram

Sowmya Reddy on FB

The Karnataka Congress is in the process of appointing the Karnataka Pradesh Youth Congress Committee, and among the frontrunners are Jayanagar MLA Sowmya Reddy, and Shantinagar MLA's son Mohammed Haris Nalapad, who was accused of attempted murder of the son of businessman Loganathan at a cafe in Bengaluru. Along with these two candidates is the President of the National Students Union of India's Karnataka chapter, Manjunath.  Sources in the Congress said that Sowmya Reddy is going to be Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President DK Shivakumar's pick for various strategic reasons, primarily due to Sowmya's rising popularity and Shivakumar's promise to Sowmya Reddy's father — BTM Layout MLA Ramalinga Reddy.  Congress insiders said that when the rebellion erupted in the Karnataka Congress in May 2019, Ramalinga Reddy was one among the MLAs, who was considering joining the BJP. Several Congress and JD(S) MLAs submitted their resignation letters to the Governor on June 6. Ramalinga Reddy, had made it clear that during a meeting with DK Shivakumar in one of his offices near Crescent Road, that for him to remain loyal to the Congress, the party has to back them too, especially Sowmya. When the kerfuffle had begun in the Congress, Shivakumar was mired in the scandal due to the Income Tax raids, in which he was accused of misappropriating crores of rupees. He was also in talks with the high command for becoming the next President of the KPCC. "Shivakumar promised him that once he became the KPCC President, he would appoint Sowmya Reddy as the President of the party's Yuva Morcha. This would give her a platform to travel across the state, build a strong support group for herself and also become a figure well known across the state and not just a figure in Bengaluru's politics," the source said.  In return, Ramalinga Reddy promised to support Shivakumar in solidifying the Congress' support base in Bengaluru for the next assembly elections. "Ramalinga Reddy has huge influence in Bengaluru and his support is crucial for any candidate to win or lose in the party. Shivakumar got this support," the source said.  With this move, party insiders said that Shivakumar earned loyalists in Ramalinga Reddy and his daughter. "She will be positioned as the candidate for women empowerment and her role would be to consolidate a vote base of women. Most of the Yuva Morcha presidents in the Congress have gone on to become popular figures in the state. This is because the Youth Congress President has unfettered access to campaigning on the ground and is always handpicked by the party's state president. This is the person, who will be groomed to take on the role of KPCC President someday, although there have been exceptions in the past,” the source said.  Sources said that some of Shivakumar's detractors want Nalapad to be appointed as the President of the youth wing, while NSUI President Manjunath, who has been a long-time loyalist of DK Shivakumar is also aspiring for the post. "Nalapad will not be appointed due to his controversial past. First the assault and attempted murder case filed in Cubbon Park Police Station, and next was the speeding incident in 2019. His appointment will only draw flak for DK Shivakumar. Manjunath is likely to be given the role of a general secretary of the youth wing but he will not be the face. Sowmya Reddy is urbane, eloquent and has been vocal against the BJP government in handling the COVID-19 crisis unlike the other contenders," the source added.

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Karnataka offers Rs 5000 to recovered COVID-19 patients who donate plasma

Plasma therapy

The initiative comes even as a minuscule number of recovered coronavirus patients have opted to donate their plasma to others.

TNM Staff

With appeals to patients to donate plasma not being enough, the Karnataka government has opted to pay people who have recovered from coronavirus to give their plasma for plasma therapy. At a video-conference with reporters in Bengaluru on Wednesday, Karnataka Education Minister K Sudhakar announced that the government would pay a sum of Rs 5,000 to those who donate their plasma. “Minister Dr. Sudhkar appeals to recovered people to donate their plasma. Rs. 5000 to be provided to every plasma donor as a mark of encouragement and appreciation,” a release from the department said. So far, there have been 17,390 recoveries from coronavirus in the state, with 4,992 patients recovered in Bengaluru. According to news reports, only about 10 people who have recovered from coronavirus in Bengaluru have donated their plasma for the benefit of other critically ill patients in the plasma therapy centre set up at HCG Hospital in the city. Increase in testing Besides this, the press release from the government announced, “State crosses 9 lakh tests milestone; (testing) capacity to be further enhanced to conduct 50,000 tests per day.” Plans were also being made to increase the testing capacity of the state, the minister said in the media briefing. “In next 15 days, 58 medical colleges together will be able to test about 25,000 to 30,000 samples every day. Private hospitals and labs together will be able to test another 10,000 samples per day. Together, the testing capacity will be stepped up to 40,000 to 50,000 per day.” Besides, medical colleges are being roped in to ramp up testing. “The minister held a meeting with 25 private medical colleges and institutions which are yet to establish testing labs. All 25 labs have been instructed to start labs and upgrade equipments within a week to test minimum of 500 samples each day,” the press release said.

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Bengaluru private hospitals use hotels and lodges for housing COVID-19 patients

Coronavirus

The patients admitted in lodges will pay the hospital for the treatment and will not pay the lodges.

Prajwal Bhat

Representative image courtesy Pixabay

Many private hospitals in Bengaluru have begun using lodges to treat asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic COVID-19 patients. According to PC Rao, President of the Bruhat Bengaluru Hotels Association, as many as 1,000 hotels/lodges in the city have been taken over by private hospitals to treat COVID-19 patients. "This includes major hospitals like Manipal Hospital, Narayana Hrudayalaya, Sparsh Hospital, Aster Hospital, Suguna Nursing Home, Columbia, PeopleTree Hospital among others," says PC Rao. The patients admitted in lodges will pay the hospital for the treatment and will not pay the lodges. "The hospitals have a tie-up with the hotel and will pay the lodges or hotels. The lodge or hotel's responsibility is just to give the rooms and food which is a part of our work. We have no connection with the treatment and the payment by the patient is paid to the hospital," PC Rao added. Aster Hospital has taken over a lodge in the city and is charging Rs 45,000 for 5 nights and increased rates for packages of 7 and 10 nights. In their advertisement, the hospital said it was charging the patients for room rent, meals and visits by doctors and nurses. PeopleTree Hospital is offering a ten-day package at a cost of Rs 80,000.  In both hospitals, pharmacy items, laboratory and radiology tests, charges for video consultations with specialist doctors are excluded from this. Sparsh Hospital is treating patients in a lodge on Infantry Road in the city. "The patients are monitored by the hospital staff and the guidelines laid down by the government will be followed. If any patient is found to be symptomatic, they will be shifted to a hospital immediately. An ambulance service will be readily available for this." Dr Sharan S Patil, the chairman of Sparsh Hospital said. The guidelines laid down by the state government says that, "The hotel staff like cooks, back office, admins, etc. shall not come in contact with COVID positive persons.The food delivery personnel and others shall serve Covid positive persons in the rooms under supervision and care. Medical and health staff shall monitor health condition of covid positive persons thrice daily and shall be available round the clock i.e 24x7" The private hospitals are tasked with reporting to the District Surveillance officer (DSO) about the number of persons admitted, discharged, referred and their health status. Bengaluru is currently grappling with 15,599 active COVID-19 cases after the city reported a sharp spike in cases starting from the end of June.

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