DKS urges Karnataka CM to waive all property taxes in urban local bodies, rural panchayats

New Delhi, Jun 13: Loss of smell or taste has been added to the list of COVID-19 symptoms, according to the revised clinical management protocols released by the Union Health Ministry on Saturday.

The ministry said that coronavirus-infected patients reporting to various COVID-19 treatment facilities have been reporting symptoms like fever, cough, fatigue, shortness of breath, expectoration, myalgia, rhinorrhea, sore throat and diarrhea.

They have also complained of loss of smell (anosmia) or loss of taste (ageusia) preceding the onset of respiratory symptoms.

Older people and immune-suppressed patients in particular may present with atypical symptoms such as fatigue, reduced alertness, reduced mobility, diarrhoea, loss of appetite, delirium, and absence of fever, the ministry said.

Children might not have reported fever or cough as frequently as adults.

The US's national public health institute, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), had in early May incorporated "a new loss of taste or smell" in the list of COVID-19 symptoms.

According to the data from Integrated Health Information Platform and Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme, portal case investigation forms for COVID 19 (n=15,366), the details on the signs and symptoms reported are (as on June 11), fever (27 per cent), cough (21 pc), sore throat (10 pc), breathlessness (8 pc), Weakness (7 pc), running nose (3pc ) and others 24 pc.

According to the health ministry, people infected by the novel coronavirus are the main source of infection.

Direct person-to-person transmission occurs through close contact, mainly through respiratory droplets that are released when the infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks.

These droplets may also land on surfaces, where the virus remains viable. Infection can also occur if a person touches an infected surface and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.

The median incubation period is 5.1 days (range 2–14 days). The precise interval during which an individual with COVID-19 is infectious is uncertain.

As per the current evidence, the period of infectivity starts 2 days prior to onset of symptoms and lasts up to 8 days.

The extent and role played by pre-clinical/ asymptomatic infections in transmission still remain under investigation.

Mangaluru, May 31: The bus services by private operators in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi Districts will begin from tomorrow (June 1) with 15 per cent hike in the fares, Canara Bus Owners Association president Rajavarma Ballal said on Sunday.

In a statement issued here, he said that the members of the Association have appealed for a 3-month tax break. ''We have received tax breaks for 2 months and have demanded for an additional month again,'' he added.

He said that the government has agreed to a 15 per cent hike in bus fares. All the passes issued already will be converted into cash cards and no discounts will be available till the end of the COVID-19 crisis.

An added attraction in private buses will be the option of paying travel fares through smart cards.

According to Dakshina Kannada Bus Operators Association president Dilraj Alva, 50 per cent of 325 private city buses will resume their services on Monday. It also meant that 50 per cent of buses will operate on the allotted routes.

The smart cards (or travel cards called Chalo Card) will not be introduced on all routes at a time. They will be introduced in a phased manner covering all routes from Monday.

Udupi, May 31: As many as 10 people have been tested positive for coronavirus in Udupi district today. 

The district has registered a total of 187 positive cases so far. Majority of the positive cases in Udupi district have inter-state travel history to Maharashtra.

Meanwhile, 14 people including three children who recovered from COVID -19 discharged from Government Hospital in Kundapura, in Udupi district.

Kundapura AC Raju, DHO Dr Sudhirchandra Sooda, taluk medical officer Dr Nagabhushan Udupa handed over a rose to all the discharged. With this, a total of 64 persons have been recovered and discharged in the district.