Karnataka turns all government medical colleges into war rooms to fight COVID-19
KARNATAKA: Government medical colleges in 19 districts will be converted into war rooms, with one entire floor meant for isolation of patients affected by Coronavirus. In remaining districts where there are no government medical colleges, private hospitals will be roped in said Minister for Medical Education, K Sudhakar in a press meet on Monday.
"A help desk will be set up at all government medical colleges. Temporary manpower will be added for the next two to three months here along with 150-200 isolation beds per college will be set up. To increase testing facilities, labs will be added in Belgaum, Kalaburagi, Hubbali and Managaluru. We have already announced testing facilities in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Shivamogga and Hassan," Sudhakar said.
ICU and ventilators will be made available. Video conferencing will also be done every day to monitor progress in all districts.
"There are 4 stages of Coronavirus spread. We are in-between stage 1 (first case) and stage 2 (cluster spread) and are trying to contain it here. We do not want it to go to stage 3 (community spread) and stage 4 (country spread). If needed, we will convert vacant government and private buildings into treatment facilities. Health workers including doctors and paramedics who are on the frontline tackling Coronavirus will be given incentives and insurance," he said.
The 76-year-old Kalaburagi man who was the state's and country's first COVID-19 death has 77 and counting primary contacts as well as 170 secondary contacts, the officials said in the press meet. The primary contacts number is only increasing and it includes the daughter who also tested positive apart from other family members who tested negative.