BENGALURU: Karnataka is amongst the eight states which contribute to 80 per cent of the fresh Covid-19 cases in the country. And, as per the statistics released by the Union Health Ministry on Tuesday, there are eight districts in the state which are still reporting new cases.
Speaking at a press conference, Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary in the Health Ministry, said that the infection is now spreading in a localised manner. “Much of the country is seeing a reprieve from increasing daily case load, but there are patches where the infection is still spreading. This indicates that the infection is now spreading in a localised manner within a limited geographical area,” he noted.
The statistics show that 80 per cent of the cases are being reported from 90 districts across the country. Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu have 15 districts each where the infection is spreading, followed by Kerala with 14 districts, Odisha 11, Andhra Pradesh 10 and Karnataka with eight districts with high rate of new Covid-19 cases.
Calling for focused attention in these areas, the Union Health Ministry has written to the states saying that they should ensure more attention is given to the districts reporting more new cases and not only ramp up vaccination in these places, but also ensure Covid-appropriate behavior is followed. The ministry has informed the states that RT-PCR testing must be scaled up to maximum possible levels while using Rapid Antigen Tests in under-served and rural areas and places where RT-PCR testing is not feasible.
“Violations of protocols can nullify the progress made so far. While the Delta-plus variant is known to be more transmissible, maintaining social distance, double masking andregular washing of hands still remain the key to defeat this virus,” the head of the Indian Council for Medical Research, Dr Balram Bhargava, said.
Meanwhile, the test positivity rate in two districts of Karnataka — Kodagu and Hassan — still remains a matter of concern. As per the data from June 29 to July 5, the two districts have TPR of 6.76 per cent and 6.05 per cent respectively, which is higher than the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended 5 per cent. Anything above 5 per cent is a cause for concern.
According to Dr C N Manjunath, Director, Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, the state should also be monitoring the number of ICU admissions and death rates in these districts. “There will be a lag between admissions and death. If these are on the rise, it should be indicators that we need to pay more attention in these districts,” he pointed out.
As economic activities have restarted in Karnataka, experts warn that the second wave of Covid-19 is not
completely over and whatever has been achieved so far due to the lockdown may go waste and restrictions may be back in place to contain the Covid-19 spread.“District-specific measures (regarding reopening) have to be guided by the positivity rate,’’ said Dr Balram Bhargava, while stressing on the need to step up testing.