While Karnataka has been witnessing a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases in the last one week, a Union Health Ministry team that visited the State has appreciated its efforts to contain the pandemic, especially contact tracing and measures to create a database of people with co-morbidities and other vulnerabilities.
A team of officers from the Ministry met Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa at his home-office on Tuesday as part of their two-day visit to the State. According to a release from the Chief Minister’s Office, the central team advised that the government should strictly follow guidelines for containment zones. The State government has been maintaining that the death rate has been lower here when compared with other States and that Karnataka has good recovery rate.
The central team comprised Aarti Ahuja, Additional Secretary to Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and P. Raveendran, Director of Emergency Medical Response Centre, among others. Health Minister B. Sriramulu, Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakar, Chief Secretary T.M. Vijay Bhaskar, and other senior officers were present.
The State government informed the central team that high-flow oxygen systems were being installed at district and taluk hospitals for around 15,000 beds to handle COVID-19 patients. It will be ready by August 15, according to the release.
Medical experts who recently participated in a meeting convened by the Chief Minister had suggested creation of such facilities.
‘Increase testing’
Mr. Sudhakar told mediapersons that the central team told the State government to increase testing. More number of tests would mean more positive cases, but there was no need to panic, he said. Identifying more cases would actually help in preventing the spread of the pandemic as well as deaths, the team said.
It told the State that the main aim should be to reduce the death rate below 1%. It also suggested that Bengaluru should learn from other cities, including Mumbai, which have handled a large number of positive cases, especially those in slums, he said.