Minister for Health and Family Welfare and Medical Education K. Sudhakar has said that the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic had hit several countries including India, which was evident in the reports of the spreading of the disease in Ahmedabad and Delhi.
Speaking to presspersons in Dharwad on Saturday, Mr. Sudhakar said that the possibility of the second COVID-19 wave hitting the State depended on how responsibly the people behaved. “If people continue to be cautious and adhere to the COVID-19 advisory issued by the Health Ministry, there will be no problem. But if people are reckless, then the possibility of another wave cannot be ruled out,” he said.
The Minister negated reports about laxity in testing as the reason for the decline in number of cases and said that till Saturday, nearly one crore people had been tested in the State for COVID-19 infection.
“Everyday nearly 1.15 lakh people are being tested. In fact even in districts where there is increased testing, there is no spike in the number of infections,” he said.
He claimed that Karnataka was among the top States in the country that had effectively handled the effects of the pandemic. While the situation had seen improvement, there would be no complicity from the administration, he said, adding that he expected the COVID-19 curve to be flat by end of March. Defending the decision to reopen colleges, he said that it was also equally important to ensure educational progress of the students. The Minister clarified that in the eventuality of further rise in number of students getting infected, the decision could be revoked.
