Bengaluru: Karnataka has started showing a slow decline in the number of Covid-19 positive cases, but the death rate remains a worry. From consistent figures of above 6000 cases every day, it dipped to 4267 on Monday. However, the death toll was the highest so far for a single day – 114 – with 36 of them succumbing to the virus in Bengaluru alone.
Bengaluru too saw a dip in numbers with 1243 testing positive Monday.
The total active cases in the state went up to nearly 80,000 even as the overall caseload touched 1,82,354.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa was discharged from Manipal Hospital after testing Covid negative. He was admitted on August 2 after testing positive though he was asymptomatic.
In a Covid-related development, a 43-year-old Coronavirus positive patient went missing from Bengaluru’s Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) Hospital on Friday evening and the police have begun a search for her. She was admitted to the hospital on July 25 after testing positive for coronavirus.
A case has been registered under section 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the Indian Penal Code.
This is not the first such incident. Hospitals are facing difficulty in convincing patients to stay in their rooms. But one of the main reasons for patients to flee is the high cost of treatment. At KIMS, patients are charged Rs 65,000 for the treatment, which can run into anywhere between 10 to 15 days at the hospital. This cost excludes the medicines given to patients during the treatment.