With 63 new cases, Karnataka saw a record increase in the number of fresh COVID-19 cases on Tuesday. The State’s tally of confirmed positive cases has now touched 925.

This includes 31 COVID deaths, one non-COVID death, and 433 discharged persons. Of the 460 active cases, the condition of 449 patients is stable and 11 are in the ICU.

Of the new cases, 15 are from Bagalkot, 12 from Davangere, nine from Dharwad, five each from Hassan and Kolar, four from Bengaluru Urban, three from Gadag, two each from Yadgir, Bidar, and Dakshina Kannada, and one each from Kalaburagi, Chickballapur, Ballari, and Mandya district. Kolar, Yadgir, and Hassan districts reported cases for the first time on Tuesday. With this, 25 districts in the State are now COVID-affected.

Travel history

Of the 63 cases, 33 have a history of travel to Ahmedabad and six have a history of travel to Mumbai. In the last three days, 51 people who have come from Ahmedabad have tested positive in the State.

Of the three from Kolar, two have a travel history to Odisha and one to Chennai.

Out of four patients from Bengaluru, three are women from Padarayanapura and contacts of a previously infected patient (P-454).

The source of infection in the fourth person, a 35-old-year male, however, is still not known.

Primary and Secondary Education Minister S. Suresh Kumar said all the Deputy Commissioners had prior information about the inter-State returnees. The returnees had been quarantined and tested on crossing the borders.

Admitting that there was an element of risk following the influx of people from other States into Karnataka, the Minister said it was not right to come to a conclusion that the infection had reached villages. “All those who were stranded in other States are returning to the State. They have been quarantined and tested. We cannot come to a conclusion that the infection has come to villages. In fact, the villagers are more vigilant than urbanites and they will not allow any new persons to enter their villages,” he said.

With most people violating home quarantine, the government has decided to mandatorily quarantine all those who return from other States and countries in institutional facilities. “There will be no home quarantine now for these people,” he said.

Isolation for suspected cases

The Health Department has issued a circular to isolate all COVID-19 suspected cases whose test reports are inconclusive in the isolation wards of dedicated COVID Health Centres, till their repeat test result is known. They should not be kept in dedicated COVID hospitals, the circular stated, adding that this was based on a recommendation by the COVID expert committee headed by M.K. Sudarshan.

This is in the wake of a pregnant woman who first tested positive and later negative. Although the interpretation in her first test report also said “inconclusive”, she was admitted in a designated COVID hospital. However, after her repeat test showed she was negative, she was discharged. There were several concerns that as she spent two days in the COVID ward she may have been exposed to the virus.

Meanwhile, the Minister launched two immunity boosting products prepared by the AYUSH Directorate in Karnataka. AYUSH Director Meenakshi Negi said these products — a kashaya mix and a Unani inhaler — will be distributed free to all those quarantined and anyone with symptoms.