Karnataka’s COVID Caseload Crosses 7 Lakh Mark

Bengaluru: Karnataka crossed the 7 lakh mark in Covid-19 caseload as 10512 people tested positive Saturday. Active cases also touched a new peak at 1,20,929 putting immense pressure on beds, especially in Bengaluru which reported 4563 new cases.

The state also recorded 102 Covid-related deaths, taking the toll to 9891.

On most days, Bengaluru has been reporting almost half the number of new Covid positive cases in the state and this has resulted in a serious shortage of beds. Hospitals are also running out of ICU and ventilator beds, according to media reports. As of Saturday, there were 66911 active cases in Bengaluru of which nearly 15K patients were admitted to designated Covid hospitals both public and private. As many as 1,101 patients are in Covid Care Centres and the rest are in home isolation.

As of Saturday, only 17 of the 41 ICU beds across 14 government hospitals across the city were vacant, and only four of the 37 ventilator beds vacant. There were no ICU or ventilator beds available in government medical colleges.

According to the Department of Health and Family Welfare, the main reason for shortage is because beds in government hospitals are filling up faster and the private hospitals are charging more than the government-mandated costs.

What is also worrying is the number of Covid-related deaths. An analysis of data showed that one out of five people who died of Covid-19 in Karnataka in August breathed their last either within 24 hours of hospitalisation or at home. Also, while the source of infection in 15% of the dead was not traced, Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) was seen in 67%, while 17% had Influenza Like Illness (ILI) symptoms.

Meanwhile, after 23 students in Belagavi and four in Kalaburagi tested positive for the coronavirus in the last two weeks, the government has put a halt to its Vidyagama programme. Under this scheme, teachers at government schools had to go door to door, gather students at an open place like a playground or temple near their residences and give them notes and clarify doubts regarding the lessons taught they were learning.

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