Karnataka reports third COVID-19 death; Total positive cases

In the third COVID-19 fatality in Karnataka, a 60-year-old man died at a hospital in Tumakuru on Friday hours after his test result came positive for COVID-19, along with that of eight others, as the total cases in the state rose to 64. The man who died had no travel history to any foreign country, but had visited Delhi and returned by train earlier this month, following which he developed certain symptoms, officials said.

In a tweet, state Health and Family Welfare Minister B Sriramulu confirmed the death was due to coronavirus infection. "He (60-year-old) had a history of travel to Delhi by train on March 13....His 24 high-risk primary contacts have been traced, of which 13 are isolated in designated hospital.

Eight tested negative and 3 are healthcare professionals, who are house quarantined," a health department bulletin said. With the nine new cases, including that of a 10-month-old child from Dakshina Kannada, as many as 64 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state as of Friday.

This included three deaths and five discharges. Fifty six positive patients are in isolation at designated hospitals and are stable, it said.

Of the total of 64 cases detected and confirmed, six are transit passengers of Kerala who landed in airports and are being treated in Karnataka. Giving details about the deceased, Tumakuru District Deputy Commissioner K Rakesh Kumar said the first confirmation of the 60-year old man testing positive was received late on Thursday night.

"Today morning we got official report also... and around 10:45 AM the patient died," he said. This is the third coronavirus fatality in the state.

Earlier this month, a 76-year old man from Kalaburagi died due to co-morbidity and was also tested positive for COVID- 19, becoming the country's first coronavirus death. A 70-year old woman from Chikkaballapura district, who returned from Mecca in Saudi Arabia, died on March 24 at a designated hospital here, becoming the second fatality.

Regarding the 10-month old male child, the department said the infant had no history of travel to COVID-19 affected countries and was isolated at the designated hospital in the district. As per the preliminary investigation the child was taken to Kerala by family members, it said, adding that six primary contacts have been traced and are under house quarantine.

Among other newly confirmed cases was a 20-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman from the city with a travel history to Colombo and London respectively. The others are two women in their 30s from the city, who are contacts of a patient (house maid) already tested positive and undergoing treatment and a 22 year-old man, a resident of Uttara Kannada with a history of travel to Dubai, the bulletin said.

A 18 year-old man, a resident of Davangere with a history of travel to Paris and a 21-year old man from Dakshina Kannada with a history of travel to Dubai were additions to the list of positive cases on Friday. Among the 64 positive cases, 39 are from Bengaluru, seven from Dakshina Kannada, three each from Kalaburgai, Chikkaballapura, Mysuru and Uttara Kannada two from Davangere, and one each from Kodagu, Dharwad, Udupi and Tumakuru.

All the five discharged patients are from Bengaluru, while one death each was reported in Kalaburgari, Bengaluru and Tumakuru. Meanwhile Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday expressed concern over the movement of people in Karnataka despite the 21-day lockdown, following which the BJP government in the state decided to strengthen measures to check the spread of coronavirus.

The state cabinet, which met on Friday, asked district in charge Ministers to take responsibility of their respective districts with regard to measures to be taken to control the spread of COVID-19. Practicing the mantra of social distancing, Yediyurappa and his ministerial colleagues sat in chairs kept at a distance from each other during the cabinet meeting.

The meeting was shifted to the spacious conference hall on the third floor of Vidhana Soudha, the complex housing the state secretariat and legislature here, instead of the usual cabinet hall on the same floor. In a preparatory measure to tackle any exigency in the backdrop of spread of COVID-19, the government asked district administrations to use residential schools and hostels that come under Social Welfare department as quarantine centres.

"Wherever necessary,these residential schools and hostels can be converted as quarantine facility without any extra cost by the district administrations," Deputy Chief Minister Govind Karjol, also in-charge of the departmet, said in a statement. Noted cardiac surgeon Devi Prasad Shetty on Friday said India should take a cue from the UK and Italy and allow final year medical students to skip exam and bring them into the hospital system immediately to fight the war against COVID-19, "COVID-19 battle can be only won by young doctors and young nurses. Its like a war, Shetty told PTI.

The Chairman and Founder of city-based Narayana Health said there should be some reforms in medical education like the UK and Italy..