Mosques in Karnataka lead fight against Corona; caution through loudspeakers four times a day

Bengaluru, Jun 10: The Karnataka government on Wednesday said coronavirus tests conducted in the state has crossed the four lakh mark, while the recovery rate remained at 44 per cent.

Sharing the daily COVID-19 bulletin on his Twitter handle, Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar said till Tuesday 4,00,257 samples were tested in 71 COVID-19 testing labs across the state.

"Karnataka crossed 4 lakh tests mark on Tuesday. So far, we tested 4,00,257 samples in 71 #COVID19 testing labs across the state with a positivity rate of 1.4 per cent," he said.

He tweeted that the state's recovery rate remained healthy at 44 per cent with 2,605 discharges and 5,921 cumulative cases.

The minister said Karnataka was home to nearly a tenth of the total testing labs in India.

According to the Karnataka Health department, out of the four lakh odd samples tested, 3,87,027 samples were reported negative.

The total active cases in the state as on Tuesday evening were 3,248 whereas 66 people lost their lives to coronavirus so far.

Major contributors to the spike in COVID-19 cases in Karnataka are those who returned from Maharashtra recently.

Mar 5: The government on Thursday asserted that there is no shortage of raw ingredients or medicines in the country as it has taken various initiatives to tackle the challenge posed by the coronavirus outbreak.

All initiatives are also being taken to ensure that there is no impact of the disease in India, Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers D V Sadananda Gowda said.

"There is no shortage of any APIs in the country. We have sufficient APIs (active pharmaceutical ingredients) and medicines in the country," he said.

Gowda was addressing the 5th international exhibition and conference on the pharmaceutical and medical industry organised by the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Gujarat government and industry chamber Ficci here.

For another three months there is no shortage for undertaking production in the pharma sector, he added.

"Our government has taken all initiatives to ensure that as far as our country is concerned the coronavirus should be stopped, and there is no hazard as far as this issue is concerned," Gowda reiterated.

Coronavirus is a challenge and "we should make all efforts that need to be taken..., " he added.

On Tuesday, India, the world's largest maker of generic drugs, restricted the export of common medicines such as paracetamol and 25 other pharmaceutical ingredients and drugs made from them, as it looks to prevent shortages amid concerns of the coronavirus outbreak turning into a pandemic.

Besides over-the-counter painkiller and fever reducer paracetamol, drugs restricted for exports included common antibiotics metronidazole, and those used to treat bacterial and other infections as well as Vitamin B1 and B12 ingredients.

A notification by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) had said the export of 26 active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and formulations would require licence.

Bengaluru, Feb 9: The Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Services Department has kept 138 persons across the state under observation in the wake of novel coronavirus (nCov) scare, a health official said on Saturday.

"We are observing 138 people across the state, including in Bengaluru," the department's Communicable Diseases Wing Joint Director Prakash Kumar told news agency.

Though no coronavirus-positive case has been reported from Karnataka so far, four persons have been admitted in a state hospital under medical observation, Kumar confirmed.

Of the 104 samples sent for testing from the state, 85 have, so far, been declared negative. As many as 130 persons in the state were kept under home-isolation observation.

Four Karnataka districts bordering Kerala — Kodagu, Mangluru, Chamarajanagar and Mysuru — continue to be under surveillance after three positive coronavirus cases were reported in Kerala.

On Saturday, it was reported that three persons from Udupi were isolated at the Ajjarkad Government Hospital. Two of them had travelled to China while the other had returned to Udupi from Japan.

From January 20 till Saturday, 14,153 passengers underwent thermal screening at the Kempegowda International Airport, including three who had a history of visiting China’s Wuhan, the epicenter of the nCoV outbreak.

The '104 Arogya Sahayavani' call centre, which people can call for guidance on coronavirus, has clocked 1,792 calls so far.

"In case people with recent travel history to China and other affected countries develop any symptoms, they are requested to call 104 or health authorities and provide all necessary details in order to take necessary measures and are requested to be quarantined at home," reiterated the department.

Three confirmed cases of coronavirus were earlier reported in Kerala and over 722 deaths were confirmed around the world, mostly in mainland China.