The 55-room newly constructed academic building of Karnataka State Open University (KSOU) near Mysuru airport at Mandakalli is all set to function as the city’s first COVID-19 Care Centre (CCC), equipped with 600 beds and basic facilities for the treatment of patients.
The facility will be thrown open in the next two days for shifting infected patients, with the designated 250-bed COVID-19 Hospital packed to its capacity.
Some patients are being treated at private hospitals and home isolation of patients has also commenced after a spike in cases with over 200 cases reported in a span of four days.
Located away from the city limits in an isolated area, the KSOU building is currently the biggest care centre and each room is equipped with a TV set, WiFi and DTH connection. Bathrooms with continuous hot water, toilets and utility had been readied. A doctor and two staff nurses will be available to look after 100 patients each. The staff will be available at the facility round-the-clock.
Minister in-charge of Mysuru district S.T. Somashekar, who inspected the arrangements made at the CCC on Saturday, maintained that there was no dearth of beds in Mysuru and that the district administration had taken all necessary steps in view of the rise in cases.
Denies Siddaramaiah's allegations
Denying former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s allegations of irregularities in COVID-related purchases against the BJP government, he said documents would be furnished in Vidhana Soudha to reject the allegations. “When we have spent a sum of ₹ 500 crore on COVID-19 management, how are irregularities to the tune of ₹2,000 crore as claimed by the Opposition leader possible,” he asked.
Lockdown in NR segment?
Referring to the spike in COVID-19 cases, especially in NR constituency in Mysuru city, he claimed that the people in the constituency were not cooperating with the authorities for testing and said there are suggestions to put some parts of the constituency under lockdown to combat the infection.
“The positive cases and the death toll in the constituency are high. People are not responding to the pleas of health workers to undergo tests. I will discuss the issue with the area MLA and take a final call on whether to impose a lockdown,” he replied.