Karnataka crosses 50,000 coronavirus cases as death toll in state mounts to 1,000
Experts have said that enhanced testing, early identification, isolation and treatment are key to limiting the spread of the virus.
With 4,169 new Covid-19 cases being reported on Thursday, Karnataka crossed the 50,000 cases mark with its capital Bangalore continuing to witness an alarming spike in fresh cases inspite of an ongoing week long lockdown. The state now has recorded cumulatively 51,422 Covid-19 cases including 19,729 discharges and 1,032 have succumbed to the virus.
Bangalore with 18,828 active cases now accounts for more than 60 percent of all active cases present in the state. A senior official of the government, who did not want to be identified, as he is not authorized to speak to media, said “We are surprised too at the continued growth trajectory (of cases) in Bangalore. After the imposition of lockdown we had expected it to decline.” Asked whether this was an indication of community spread, he said “It is too early to say that but I wouldn’t deny that there are some worrying signs.”
Meanwhile the statement of B Sriramulu, the Health and Family Welfare minister on Wednesday that only ‘Only God can save us’ attracted criticism from the opposition parties. KPCC President D K Shivakumar hit out at the minister saying that ‘People are aghast at the statement made by him. If only God has to help the people of Karnataka why should BJP be in power? Let them resign immediately and president’s rule be imposed.’
Sriramulu however claimed that his statement had been misinterpreted and it was not meant as an expression of helplessness but only as seeking divine help. Medical Education minister Dr K Sudhakar said that in the next 7-10 days testing capacity will be enhanced to conduct 40,000 to 50,000 tests per day. This is nearly double of the current testing rate of around 20,000 samples per day. Experts have said that enhanced testing, early identification, isolation and treatment are key to limiting the spread of the virus.