Karnataka CM to meet health, disaster management experts as COVID cases spike

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday called for a meeting of health and disaster department experts to discuss the spike in COVID cases in the state.

"I have called a meeting of experts of health and disaster departments today in view of a surge in COVID-19 cases in Kerala and clusters in a few colleges in Dharwad and Bengaluru," CM Basavaraj Bommai said.

Dharwad District Collector Nitesh Patil informed that a total of 99 more medical college students and faculty members of SDM college have tested COVID positive in Karnataka's Dharwad on Saturday, taking the total number of affected students to 281.

The state also reported six deaths and 402 fresh COVID cases on Saturday. As per the state health department, the state has 6,611 active cases of COVID infection. Karnataka has registered a total of 29,94,063 infections since the outbreak of the pandemic last year.

Adding 277 to the count on Saturday, the state's total recoveries escalated to 29,50,130. A total of 38,193 people in the state have succumbed to the infection. Meanwhile, out of the six deaths reported on Friday, one each was reported in Bengaluru Urban, Dakshina Kannada, Dharwad, Hassana, Kodagu, and Raichur.

Travellers from new COVID variant-affected nations to take RT-PCR: Health Min

Meanwhile, in the purview of reports of the emergence of a highly transmissible variant of the COVID virus in countries in the African continent, also called 'Omicron', Karnataka Health Minister Dr. K Sudhakar on Saturday directed people coming from new COVID variant-affected countries to take the RT-PCR test after landing in Bengaluru.

"We are constantly in touch with the Union Health Ministry and have information that this new strain in South Africa, Hong Kong, Israel, and Botswana is very contagious and has overtaken the Delta variant," Sudhakar said.

"People coming from these affected countries will take the RT-PCR once they land in Bengaluru. If found positive, they will stay in and around the airport and will be treated, if needed. The home quarantine will be mandatory after their arrival," added the minister.

Health Minister Sudhakar added that 281 students of SDM College of Medical Science in Dharwad, have tested positive.
"We have tested all 1,788 students of the college, some results are awaited. Also, one international school had reported 34 cases and another 12 awaited. Also, one international school had reported 34 cases and another 12 cases. None of these cases was severe," he said.

(With Inputs from ANI)

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