BENGALURU: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday issued a series of instructions to ensure comprehensive management of the pandemic and also to prevent mortality in the state. He instructed health officials to focus more on outpatients and deploy more personnel in Bengaluru. He suggested that officers should monitor people getting admitted after triaging.
“As many people are mildly symptomatic and are in home isolation, the chief minister asked the health department to increase calls made to people in home isolation. He said cases with comorbidities should be contacted at least once a day,” Health and Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar said.
The chief minister wanted officials to create awareness on isolation terms so that other family members take precautionary measures and ensure they are not infected. Meanwhile, on the medicinal kits issued to Covid patients, he said the kits should be effectively delivered to home-isolated cases and negative attitudes of people should be removed by involving voluntary service organisations. A decision has also been taken to involve local doctors for consultation and special care has to be given to infected children, especially in rural areas, he added.
“Children infected in rural areas should get top priority. Parents of such children should be counselled and medical kits should be distributed to them. Separate medical kits should be prepared for children and confidence should be instilled amongst the rural population,” Bommai told the officials.
While appreciating the vaccination coverage in the state, the Chief Minister asked the officials to hold video conferences with DCs and CEOs of districts which are lagging behind in taking the second dose of the vaccination. Bommai also instructed on speedy completion of the vaccination drive. After the meeting, to a query on the appeal of hoteliers not to impose weekend curfews, Ashoka said, “We cannot risk the lives of 6.5 crore people to help hoteliers by lifting the weekend curfew. We will go by the experts, Centre and WHO’s advisory on Covid.”
Meanwhile, Bengaluru police commissioner Kamal Pant on Monday ordered banning of rallies, demonstrations and protests and congregation of more than 200 people in open places and 100 people in closed places during marriages till January-end under Section 144 (1) of the CrPC.
Hospitalisation in Dharwad at 5 per cent
Around 94 per cent of Covid-19 infected patients are being treated in home isolation in Dharwad district in the third wave. The district has more than 2,500 active cases and only 4.48 per cent among them are in hospital. From the last two weeks, the number of fresh cases have gone up in the district and there are 2476 active cases as on January 16. Everyday the district is reporting three-digit new cases adding to the total number of active cases. According to the data shared by the district health department, out of 2476 active cases in Dharwad, 2,321 are in home isolation.