Udupi, Mar 25: A 34-year-old man who returned from Dubai tested positive for novel coronavirus in Udupi district. This is the first case in the district.
He returned from Dubai on March 18 and got admitted to a government hospital in Udupi on March 23 for fever. The swab samples were sent to Shivamogga laboratory for testing.
The report which arrived on Wednesday confirmed that he was positive for COVID-19, said DHO Dr Sudhir Chandra Sooda.
Bengaluru, Jun 4: Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Siddaramaiah on Thursday said it was not appropriate to reopen schools for two more months, given the current rate at which coronavirus infection is spreading.
He also advised Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and Primary and Secondary Education Minister Suresh Kumar not to take any hasty decisions in this regard.
"As corona infection is spreading in the state beyond limits, it is not appropriate to open schools for at least two more months. Chief Minister and Suresh Kumar should not make any hasty decisions," Siddaramaiah tweeted.
Stating that Suresh Kumar has placed a proposal to reopen schools in July, he said the chief minister has to take note of worried parents opposing this proposal.
"There are reports about students getting infected by coronavirus after reopening of schools in countries like Britain, France and Italy. It is appropriate to think about reopening schools on analysing the situation after two months," he said in another tweet.
The state government has sought an opinion from parents and stakeholders regarding reopening of schools in the state, with the easing of the COVID-19 lockdown norms.
Amidst worries and concerns expressed by parents across the state, the Education Minister on Wednesday had assured that the government would not take any hasty decisions regarding reopening of schools.
The Union government, in its recent guidelines, had asked state governments to hold consultation at school, college, training and coaching institutions-level with parents and other stakeholders, and based on the feedback, a decision on reopening them would be taken.
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.
The United States of America has bought almost the entire world's supply of remdesivir, one of just two drugs proven to treat COVID-19.
“President Trump has struck an amazing deal to ensure Americans have access to the first authorised therapeutic for Covid-19,” said the US health and human services secretary, Alex Azar.
“To the extent possible, we want to ensure that any American patient who needs remdesivir can get it. The Trump administration is doing everything in our power to learn more about life-saving therapeutics for Covid-19 and secure access to these options for the American people.”
The announcement implies that no other country in the world will be able to buy remdesivir for next three months at least.
The anti-viral drug patented by the US-based Gilead biotech firm is the only one approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to treat patients with the novel coronavirus.
The Trump administration has already shown that it is prepared to outbid and outmanoeuvre all other countries to secure the medical supplies it needs for the US.
“They’ve got access to most of the drug supply [of remdesivir], so there’s nothing for Europe,” said Dr Andrew Hill, senior visiting research fellow at Liverpool University.
Remdesivir, the first drug approved by licensing authorities in the US to treat Covid-19, is made by Gilead and has been shown to help people recover faster from the disease.
The first 140,000 doses, supplied to drug trials around the world, have been used up. The Trump administration has now bought more than 500,000 doses, which is all of Gilead’s production for July and 90% of August and September.
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