Those testing positive for Covid-19 in Karnataka will have to undergo home quarantine for a week. Following a meeting of the Technical Advisory Committee on Tuesday, December 26, state health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said that said that 36 individuals have tested positive for the JN.1 variant of the virus in the state. Currently, there are 436 active Covid-19 cases, with those who tested positive placed under home isolation, closely monitored by health officials.
“Whoever gets Covid has to stay at home for a week. So, we have ordered that (any organisation) government or private should provide leave to a person if they are found to be having Covid-19 and unable to reach the office because of the same,” he said.
Despite the overall rise in Covid-19 cases, minister Rao reported that only seven deaths occurred due to the infection in the state. Among those, three were confirmed cases of the JN.1 variant.
The minister said that out of 60 samples sent for genome sequencing, 34 were identified as the JN.1 variant, along with another variant, JN.1.1. The health minister reassured public, stating that while the variant is new, there is no need for panic. “The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified it as a variant of interest, and there are no advisories suggesting it is dangerous,” he said.
During the meeting, acknowledging the severity of the situation, chief minister (CM) Siddaramaiah advised caution and ordered an inspection of the Intensive Care Units (ICUs) in the state. Oxygen supply and Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) have been notified to be equipped in the state to prevent oxygen deficiencies.
Currently, out of the 436 positive cases, approximately 400 individuals are in home isolation, and seven are in ICUs. “We keep track of these 400 odd patients who are on home isolation. Similarly, for those who are hospitalised, we will check on them. The data will be used for further precautionary measures,” he said.
Minister Rao said that the state government is securing additional resources. “Four oxygen containers will be procured to support both hospital and home settings. Those eligible have received both doses of the vaccine, and 30,000 additional precautionary vaccines have been requested from the central government. “The precautionary vaccine are corbett vaccines, The others, Covaxin and Covishield are currently not available. We have asked the union government requesting for the stock of these vaccines,” he said.
According to the latest health bulletin released by the state government on Tuesday, 74 new Covid-19 cases were reported, accompanied by two deaths with comorbidities. Both deceased individuals hailed from Mysuru and Dakshina Kannada districts.
Karnataka detected 34 cases of the JN.1 variant, with Bengaluru city reporting 20 cases, Mysuru four, Mandya three, and one each from Ramanagara, Bengaluru Rural, Kodagu, and Chamarajanagar.
Despite the rise in cases, Minister Rao assured that there will be no restrictions on New Year celebrations in Bengaluru and other parts of the state. He advised the public to exercise necessary precautions in crowded places.
Deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar reacted to the Covid-19 situation in the state and said that there was no need for people to panic about the situation. “People do not have to panic about the Covid-19 situation. They just have to be careful. We have increased the Covid-19 testing and taking all precautions. There are no restrictions on business,” he said.
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