Despite gag, MLA Renukacharya continues rant against Muslims

Kottayam, Mar 31: A 91-year-old and 88-year-old senior citizen couple were discharged from the isolation ward of government medical college after getting treated from COVID-19 on Monday.

"It is a testimony to the dedication and expertise of the medical staff as well as the strength of the Kerala public health system. We shall overcome," Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Issac tweeted as he praised the healthcare services for treating the elderly couple considered as highly vulnerable to the contagious virus.

Apart from the two senior citizens, five others suffering from COVID-19 have also been treated and discharged from the hospital.
Thomas, 91, and his wife Mariyamma, 88, who were under treatment at the Kottayam Medical College were already suffering from various age-related problems. The 91-year-old had a heart attack and severe breathing trouble when he was under treatment.

"The aged couple based in Ranni in Pathanamthitta district had got infected with the virus after coming into contact with their son, wife and grandson who had arrived from Italy. COVID-19 was confirmed in them on March 8. They were admitted to Pathanamthitta hospital. However, they were shifted to the Medical College in Kottayam the very next day as their condition was critical," the Kerala government said.

The family will have to remain in home-quarantine for 14 more days.

The Union Health Ministry said the death toll due to COVID-19 has risen to 32 and the number of total coronavirus cases to 1,251 as on Monday. 

There are 1117 active cases in the country with the state of Kerala contributing the highest number of cases which stands at 202.

Bengaluru, June 1: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today praised the Karnataka government for its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Addressing the silver jubilee celebrations of the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) via a digital platform, he spoke about the Karnataka government's efforts.

He appreciated the work of front-line warriors who are fighting every day in the war against COVID-19 and stressed the need to respect them.

"Doctors and other medical workers are soldiers without wearing the uniform of soldiers. Any kind of attack or violence against them is not acceptable," said Modi.

"There are incidents of violence against the front-line warriors. Any kind of abuse, violence or rude behaviour is not acceptable. The world is looking at doctors and medical staff with gratitude," he said.

"This is the biggest crisis since the two World Wars," the prime minister said. "Pre- and post-COVID-19, the world will be different. The discussions now at a global level are humanity-centric."

Stressing the importance of medical infrastructure, the prime minister spoke about the decision taken by the Union Government to set up a medical college in every district.

"A nation like ours has to have the medical infrastructure and medical education. Now, every district is going to have a medical college," he said.

However, the PM remained silent on salaries of front-line warriors. The Karnataka government has so far not released the salaries of doctors, nurses and lab technicians hired under National Health Mission.

Bengaluru, Apr 15: As many as 17 new positive cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Karnataka, taking the total number of cases in the state to 277, including 75 discharged and 11 deaths, the state government said on Wednesday.

Of the 17 new cases, nine are workers of a pharmaceutical company in Mysuru, the government stated.

Meanwhile, a 65-year-old from Chikkaballapur, who had tested positive for COVID-19, lost his life on Wednesday.

"He was referred to a Bengaluru hospital with complaints of H1N1 positive, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with obstructive sleep apnea and a past history of diabetes and hypertension," the government stated.