COVID-19: Seven Months After Reporting First Death, Karnataka Crosses 10,000 Fatalities

Ever since Karnataka reported the first COVID-19 death in the country on March 12, the total death toll in the state crossed the 10,000 mark on Monday, October 12, exactly seven months into the pandemic. With 87 COVID-19-related fatalities on Tuesday, as many as 10,123 deaths have been reported from the state.

According to data issued by the Department of Health and Family Welfare Services, over half of the total deaths were among those above the age of 60; over 41% of the total fatalities were reported after September 1.

On Tuesday, Karnataka reported 8,191 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total number of infections in the state to 7,26,106. The day also saw 10,421 patients discharged, taking the total number of recoveries in the state above the six lakh mark. Of the 8,191 fresh cases reported on Tuesday, 3,776 cases were from Bengaluru Urban alone.

As of evening on October 13, a total of 7,26,106 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 10,123 deaths and 6,02,505 discharges, the Health department said in its bulletin. Of the1,13,459 active cases, as many as 1,12,540 patients were in isolation at designated hospitals and are stable, while 919 were in ICUs.

Most of the deceased either had a history of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) or Influenza-like illness (ILI), and Bengaluru Urban had the highest numbers. As many as 28 out of the 87 deaths reported on Tuesday were from Bengaluru Urban, followed by Hassan (10), Tumakuru (7), Bengaluru Rural (5), Ballari, Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu, Kolar, Koppal, Mysuru and Ramanagara (3), Chamarajanagara, Dharwad, Mandya and Shivamogga (2), and Bagalkote, Belagavi, Haveri, Kalaburagi, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Vijayapura and Yadgir (1).

Among the districts where new cases were reported, Bengaluru Urban accounted for 3,776, followed by Mysuru (416), Tumakuru (391), Belagavi (358), Dakshina Kannada (314), Chitradurga (242), Hassan (238), Chikkamagaluru (231), Mandya (215), Bengaluru Rural (208) and others.

The district tops the list of positive cases with a total of 2,88,831 infections, followed by Mysuru (42,789) and Ballari (34,611). A total of over 61,37,221 samples have been tested so far, out of which 1,06,241 tests were done on Tuesday alone; 43,023 among them were rapid antigen tests.

Though Bengaluru Urban has reported the highest number of cases and deaths, Mysuru has the highest case fatality rate (CFR) of 2.1 per cent. Health and Medical Education Minister Sudhakar has ordered top health officials in the district to complete a death audit to determine the reasons behind the same. The case fatality rate of the state is at 1.39.

Yediyurappa Removes Sriramulu as Health Minister

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, state Minister of Health and Family Welfare, B.Sriramulu, was removed from his position by Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Monday in a cabinet reshuffle. The portfolio was allocated to K. Sudhakar. Significantly, Yediyurappa also took back the Backward Classes Welfare department from Sriramulu, keeping it with himself.

As the re-allocation of portfolios was declared, Sriramlu met Yediyurappa at his official residence. Seemingly sulking over the reshuffle, he later held discussions with his close associates over the next course of action. He is even contemplating visiting Delhi to meet the BJP central leadership, party sources said.

He was worried that the decision to divest him from his responsibilities will send the wrong message to the people, sources said.

The Congress in Karnataka claimed that the change was proof of the government's “miserable failure” in handling the pandemic. “The Cabinet Reshuffle done by CM @BSYBJP is proof of this government's miserable failure in handling the COVID Pandemic. The fact that the Health Minister has been changed adds credence to our charge that this Govt's incompetency has led to massive loss of life and livelihood (sic),” KPCC President D.K. Shivakumar tweeted.

Yediyurappa is said to have picked Sudhakar as he is a qualified doctor and has been handling COVID-19-related responsibilities, sources said. In the early weeks of the pandemic, the government drew criticism for its strategy and handling with Sriramulu and Sudhakar seen “competing” with each other to lead from the front, sometimes creating confusion. The opposition has levelled allegations of corruption in procurement of COVID-19 equipment, but the BJP government has rejected them.

“I have said in the assembly that there is no corruption. However, keeping in mind media queries and Opposition claims, I will study once again,” he said. Sudhakar said he has spoken to Sriramulu, who held the health portfolio all these days, after getting to know about the reallocation and said that the latter was not sulking. “Social welfare is a big department with an outlay of over Rs 25,000 crore and he (Sriramulu) had desired for the department in the past,” he noted.

On Sunday, Yediyurappa ordered a three-week mid-term holiday for all school activities in the state from October 12 to October 30 in the wake of many teachers contracting COVID-19.

“I have come to know through the media about many teachers contracting COVID-19 infection, so keeping in mind the health of teachers and students, I have directed senior officials to issue an order declaring mid-term holiday for three weeks from October 12 to 30,” Yediyurappa said in a statement.

With Inputs from PTI