CM cautions about spike in Covid-19 cases in Karnataka, asks officials to bring down death rate

News Network
September 10, 2020
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Yediyurappa

Bengaluru, Sept 10: Cautioning about high number of Covid-19 cases being reported from the state, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Thursday asked the district administrations to work towards bringing down the death rate.

He said providing immediate treatment to those with Covid-19 symptoms and saving the lives of those infected is his government's priority. The Chief Minister also instructed officials to see to it that there are no issues or complaints regarding relief to those affected by the recent floods triggered by heavy rains in the state.

"Covid infections in the state are increasing day by day...due to some reasons in Bengaluru and few districts the cases are increasing in a big way. With the state reporting a higher number of cases, it is something that we have to take seriously," Yediyurappa said.

Speaking at the virtual meeting with Deputy Commissioners, Zilla Panchayat CEOs, SPs and Health Officers of the all districts, he said following the unlock phase, almost all economic activities have resumed, as it is inevitable for people to live with Covid.

"Taking precaution for not getting infected and paying special attention to bring down the death rate is vital," he said, noting that the government was taking all measures to control Covid-19.

Further asking officials to ensure that needy patients get treatment from trained doctors and thereby bring down the death rate, Yediyurappa said the government's priority is providing immediate treatment to those with symptoms and saving the lives of those infected.

He also issued a series of instructions for increasing tests, making adequate number of testing kits available, appointment of doctors, strengthening booth level task force, ensuring availability of oxygen, beds and ventilators, also conducting door-door surveys, efficiently identifying contacts, among others.

"Already counselling of PG medical students has been completed and over 900 doctors will be appointed to districts soon," he added.

For some time now, Karnataka has been reporting over 100 deaths daily and among the districts Bengaluru Urban tops the tally.

According to Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar, the death rate in the state is at 1.62 per cent and the government intends to reduce it to below 1 per cent.

As of September 9 evening, cumulatively 4,21,730 Covid-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 6,808 deaths and 3,15,433 discharges.

Bengaluru urban district tops the list of positive cases, with a total of 1,57,044 infections.

Out of 9,540 fresh cases reported in the state on Wednesday, 3,419 cases were from the city alone.

Noting that loss to the state due to recent floods is to the tune of Rs 8,071 crore, the Chief Minister said information in this regard has been shared with the central team that visited the state to assess the damage.

He hoped that the information shared with the team and the reports that it will submit to the central government will be helpful in getting more relief funds.

Yediyurappa instructed officials to take forward the relief and rehabilitation work without giving room for any complaints, adding that to address the situation arising out of floods and Covid-19, Rs 460 crore has been released from State Disaster Relief Fund, and there is no dearth of funds.

The Chief Minister has already indicated that he will also be going to New Delhi to seek more relief from the central government.

Pointing out that funds have been released to accounts of Deputy Commissioners of districts, he asked them to work in coordination with district in-charge ministers and secretaries to bring the coronavirus and flood situation under control quickly.

Asking officials to resolve issues if any, Yediyurappa during the meeting sought information, among others, on measures taken to control Covid-19 in their jurisdiction and about providing relief to those who have lost their houses due to floods.

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News Network
January 14,2025

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New Delhi: Social media giant Meta is set to get a summons from a Parliamentary Standing Committee over its boss Mark Zuckerberg's remark on the 2024 Indian general election. Nishikant Dubey, BJP MP and chairman of the House panel on Communication and Information Technology, said Meta would be summoned on grounds of spreading misinformation.

"Misinformation on a democratic country maligns its image. The organisation would have to apologise to the Parliament and the people here for this mistake," Mr Dubey said in a post on X.

In a podcast on January 10, the 40-year-old Facebook co-founder said the Covid pandemic had led to an erosion of trust in incumbent governments the world over. He incorrectly cited India's example in this connection. "2024 was a very big election year around the world and all these countries, India, had elections. The incumbents basically lost every single one. There is some sort of a global phenomenon - whether it was because of inflation or the economic policies to deal with Covid or just how the governments dealt with Covid. It seems to have had this effect that's global," he said.

Soon after, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw fact-checked Zuckerberg's remark and said the people of India had reaffirmed their trust in the NDA led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha election held last year.

"As the world's largest democracy, India conducted the 2024 elections with over 640 million voters. People of India reaffirmed their trust in NDA led by PM @narendramodi Ji's leadership. Mr. Zuckerberg's claim that most incumbent governments, including India in 2024 elections, lost post-COVID is factually incorrect," Mr Vaishnaw, who handles portfolios of Railways, Information and Broadcasting and Electronics and Information Technology in the Modi 3.0 government, said in a post on X.

"From free food for 800 million, 2.2 billion free vaccines, and aid to nations worldwide during COVID, to leading India as the fastest-growing major economy, PM Modi's decisive 3rd-term victory is a testament to good governance and public trust. Meta, it's disappointing to see misinformation from Mr. Zuckerberg himself. Let's uphold facts and credibility," he added.

The ruling BJP, which had scored thumping victories in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls, suffered some setbacks in the general election last year and ended below the majority mark. The NDA alliance, however, crossed the magic figure comfortably with key allies bolstering the BJP's numbers. A united Opposition led by the Congress did make gains, but fell well short of the numbers required to turn the tables. With Modi 3.0, Prime Minister Modi became only the second Indian Prime Minister after Jawaharlal Nehru to get the top post for three consecutive terms.

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News Network
January 14,2025

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Incoming American President-elect Donald Trump says the raging wildfires in Los Angeles have caused more destruction than a nuclear impact, warning that the real number of fatalities in the affected areas is likely to far surpass the current death toll.

In an interview with American cable news Newsmax on Monday, he solemnly forecast a sharp rise in the death toll from the devastating Los Angeles wildfires as local authorities deploy cadaver-sniffing dogs to comb through the rubble.

“I believe it’s greater damage than if they got hit by a nuclear weapon. I’ve never seen anything like it. Vast miles and miles of houses just burned to a crisp. There’s nothing standing,” Trump told the outlet.

The colossal wildfires, which started last week, were fueled by hurricane-force winds carrying dry desert air. Since then, at least 24 people have lost their lives, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.

However, Trump emphasized that the two dozen confirmed deaths are likely to be overshadowed by the actual toll.

“They’re going to find many bodies, you know. Only the dogs will find them, right? You know, German Shepherds will. They can pick out the ashes immediately. It’s amazing. But we’re gonna find many bodies and many more, many more dead,” the incoming president added, as he was blown away by images of the sheer level of destruction caused by the devouring fires.

The wildfires have already burned over 40,000 acres and obliterated more than 12,000 structures, wiping out entire neighborhoods.

“We’re gonna do things with Los Angeles. You know, I’m already putting my developer cap on because it looks literally– I just saw some very guarded pictures of it. And it’s far worse than you even see on television, if that’s believable,” Trump further said.

As expected, the incoming president already blamed the Democrat leadership for the wildfires, particularly slamming California Governor Gavin Newsom for mismanagement of the “apocalyptic” wildfires.

“Governor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way,” Trump said on January 8.

As of Monday, over 92,000 people in Los Angeles County were under evacuation orders, a decrease from the previous peak of more than 150,000, while an additional 89,000 were facing evacuation warnings.

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News Network
January 6,2025

Bengaluru: An eight-month old baby has been detected with the human metapneumovirus (HMPV) in a Bengaluru hospital on Monday, with reports going viral online. This is likely the first reported case of HMPV in the country after the recent spike in China.

The baby is reportedly undergoing treatment in a private hospital in northern Bengaluru.

The Karnataka state health department has maintained that there is no cause for concern.

"We don't know what strain of virus is spreading in China. Without knowing that, we cannot say that this reported case is concerning. We have been reviewing all influenza-like illnesses (ILIs) from December to check for any strain that is concerning. There is no such concerning spike across the state or country," said a well-placed source in the state health department.

The HMPV is a known virus (first discovered in 2001) that causes respiratory symptoms similar to that of a common cold, largely affecting children below the age of five. It is not a new virus.

Cases have been reported in the past, especially in the winter season, note experts and health department officials, making it not an immediate concern, unless an unusual spike is observed.

In December 2024, 714 suspected cases of HMPV were tested in 16 Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratories (VRDLs) across the country, of which only nine were confirmed positive.

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