Coronavirus surge buffets coastal districts of Karnataka, death toll mounts

MANGALURU/UDUPI: Coronavirus surge in the coastal districts of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada(DK) on Thursday was 10 short of the 400 mark at 390 with Udupi tallying 217 fresh cases and DK 173. While the discharge of 192 patients including 107 in DK pared down the active cases to 3,398 in DK and 2153 in Udupi, Covid-19 related deaths crossed the 200 mark in DK at 201 with 11 deaths and touched 50 in Udupi with six deaths reported on the day.
Fresh cases in Udupi included 93 primary contacts, 62 diagnosed with influenza like illness (ILI), 9 with severe acute respiratory infection (SARI), source of infection in 51 is under investigation and 2 detected in domestic travellers.Ninety of the cases were reported from Udupi taluk, 81 from Kundapur and 44 in Karkala and two in patients from outside the district. Total positive cases in Udupi as on date is 5,353, DC G Jagadeesha, said.
In DK, 83 of the reported cases were ILI, 13 patients had SARI, 23 were primary contacts, four reported in international travellers and the source of infection in the remaining 50 is being traced. Majority of the new cases - 119 in all - were reported from Mangaluru taluk, 21 in Bantwal, 13 in Puttur, five in Sullia, four each in Belthangady, Moodbidri and outside the district, two in Kadaba and one in Mulki. Total positive cases in DK as on date in 6715.
In a related development, Kota Shrinivas Poojari, district minister who visited A J Hospital and Research Centre and Srinivas Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre on a request from Mangaluru City North MLA Y Bharath Shetty directed them to set aside 50% of their total available beds to treat people with Covid-19 infection. The state government is striving to provide free treatment to such people under Ayushman Bharat scheme, he said.
DC Dr K V Rajendra said all medical colleges in DK district must carry out 100 rapid antigen tests free of cost. The Arogya mitras appointed to each of the medical college hospitals should discharge their duties pro-actively and help patients referred there obtain free treatment as desired by the government, he said, adding hospitals charging patients in excess of fees prescribed by the government will face severe scrutiny under KPME Act.
In Udupi, G Jagadeesha informed district minister Basavaraj Bommai via videoconferencing that the district for the past week has been recording 145 fresh cases every day on an average. Covid19 related fatalities are on the rise in the last fortnight with death toll on Thursday touching 50, he said, adding the district administration has stepped up surveillance and testing to prevent people with comorbidities coming to hospital at the last stage.