Yediyurappa: Fight the pandemic, bring down mortality

BENGALURU: Concerned over the continued surge in Covid19 cases and deaths, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Thursday took stock of the measures taken to fight the pandemic, especially in districts reporting high number of cases in the last few weeks.During his interactions with Deputy Commissioners and Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officers from Ballari, Dakshina Kannada, Hassan, Dharwad, Belagavi, Mysuru, Shivamogga, Tumakuru, Udupi and Uttara Kannada, the CM directed officers to conduct a death audit to find out reasons for mortality.

“About 50 percent of deaths were within 72 hours of admission in hospitals. It is very important to find out the reasons and take appropriate measures,” the CM said, and directed the officers to focus on contact tracing, targeted testing and providing timely treatment to contain the spread and bring down the mortality rate.

The CM told the media officers that were working day and night to fight the pandemic. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also expressed concern over the increase in cases in Karnataka, and during a recent interaction, suggested measures to contain the spread, the CM said.At the meeting, the DCs and CEOs were asked to create awareness about taking preventive measures. “Imposing fines on those not wearing masks is part of the drive to create awareness and people should be made aware of it,” the CM told officers.

Stating that the government will provide all assistance to the district administrations to fight the pandemic, the CM said they must ensure the SoPs are strictly followed. He also directed the officers to send a special team to Dharwad to help the district administration bring down the mortality rate.Dharwad has reported a total of 18,393 cases and 512 deaths. It has a good recovery rate with 15,251 discharges.

As on Thursday, Karnataka’s mortality rate was 1.42%. It had gone up to 2.08 %  District officials were also directed to do more RT-PCR tests and keep a close watch on health conditions of patients in home isolation via tele-monitoring system and strictly follow clinical protocols.

Low-key Dasara
Expressing concern over the surge in cases ahead of Dasara, the CM said Dasara would be a low-key festival this year. Officials have been directed to submit a report on the Covid situation in a week. All precautions must be taken and virtual events will be held, he added.