Harsh Vardhan to review the Covid-19 situation in Karnataka

Union Health and Family Welfare Minister, Harsh Vardhan reviewed the present situation of the state of Karnataka regarding the Covid-19 infection. Karnataka is one of states to have the highest cases in the country accounting to 835,773 cases and 11,281 people have died because of the viral infection.

In an online video-conferencing meeting scheduled on Wednesday by Harsh Vardhan with the state’s health and medical education minister K.Sudhakar and other senior officials of State government, the discussion was based on reviewing Covid-19 preparedness and the necessary measures for assuring Covid-19 appropriate behaviour.

Harsh Vardhan stated, “We will soon be completing a journey of 10 months in fighting Corona. The country is witnessing substantial improvements in Covid-19 parameters. The number of cases and deaths are in a declining phase. The active cases have been substantially reduced. The Recovery Rate of India has surpassed 92% today. The Case Fatality Rate is also declining and stands at 1.49%. With over 2,000 labs, the testing capacity has also increased.”

While making comparison of Karnataka with the country regarding the spike of Covid-19 cases, the minister said, “Karnataka has the second highest cumulative cases after Maharashtra. It has a Recovery Rate of 93% which is more than the national recovery rate. The case fatality rate (1.35%) is also lower than the national average.”

The most impacted parts of Karnataka include Urban Bengaluru, Mysuru, Bellari, Belagavi, Hassan and Dakshin Kannada, where the number of Covid-19 positive cases are increasing in a linear manner along with a surge in the death rate.

The health authorities revealed to the minister that they are adhering to 4Ts which consists of tracing, testing, treatment and technology to tackle the Coronavirus pandemic. Further, the number of people being tested has been raised from 10,000 per day in the month of June to more than 80,000 per day presently. All the medical colleges of the state avail testing facilities, which has led to far more increase in the overall testing.

The state of Karnataka has conducted over 8 million tests so far. According to the state authorities, 80 % of the testing is conducted by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RTPCR).

Also considering the period between October 25 to November 1, there was observed 37 % reduction in the total number of active cases. It has been ensured to conduct both random pool testing and targeted testing to focus on early containment and efficient treatment. The urban areas are practising Containment strategies. Alongside, education activities have been given significant raise in the state and also funds are assigned for it.

During the meeting, Union health secretary, Rajesh Bhushan said, “The state needs to engage aggressively with all the stakeholders in those districts which have fatality rate higher than the national average.”