Coronavirus: COVID-19 cases have been rising in Karnataka, especially in Bengaluru
Karnataka reported nearly 30,000 COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours - the biggest single-day surge in the state. The state reported 208 deaths due to Covid in during the same period. The positivity rate is 15.52 per cent and case fatality rate is 0.7 per cent, according to government data.
The state capital Bengaluru also reported its biggest ever single-day Covid surge with over 17,000 new cases. The total active cases in the state are now 2.3 lakh, with Bengaluru accounting for over 1.6 lakh active cases.
The Karnataka technical advisory committee on Covid has asked the state government to impose stringent restrictions, including lockdown for two weeks to break the chain of infections.
The members of the panel have asked the state government to increase the number of hospital beds to tide over the crisis.
"There are two main strategies. First, we need to reduce the number of cases and that will happen only by a stringent lockdown for at least 14 days. And second, we should expand the bed capacity by taking as much as possible beds from all private medical colleges, nursing homes and hospitals," Public Health Foundation of India's Giridhar Babu told news agency PTI.
The Bengaluru civic body BBMP's chief Gaurav Gupta said their officials are working overtime at the Covid war room.
Notices were sent by the BBMP to private hospitals that had not reserved 50 per cent of their beds for Covid patients.
Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa in a video conference told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the state needs 1,500 tonnes of medical oxygen and two lakh vials of the anti-viral drug remdesivir.
The state has imposed night and weekend curfews, and ordered non-essential shops and business to remain shut.
The surge in Covid cases in recent weeks have led to what is now being called a deadlier second wave of the pandemic. Social media is full of stories of desperate people trying to find oxygen or a hospital bed for their friends and family.
More and more people this time are complaining of breathlessness, which needs oxygen support. However, the supply of oxygen has become severely limited due to the sudden jump in demand across cities and towns.
With inputs from PTI