Karnataka on Thursday reported 35,297 new Covid-19 and 344 related fatalities, taking cumulative count to 20,88,488 and the toll to 20,712, the health department said.
The day also saw 34,057 patients recovering. Of the 35,297 fresh cases reported on Thursday, 15,191 were from Bengaluru Urban alone.
Sixteen districts reported 5 or less fatalities, Health Minister K Sudhakar tweeted. The state currently has 5,93,078 active cases. While the positivity rate stood at 27.64 per cent, the mortality rate is at 0.97 per cent.
Among 344 deaths reported on Thursday, 161 are from Bengaluru Urban, 15 from Mysuru, 14 each from Ballari and Uttara Kannada, 13 from Bengaluru Rural 13, 11 each from Madya and Tumakuru, and 10 each from Hassan and Shivamogga among other districts.
Ballari recorded 1,865 cases, Tumakuru 1,798, Myauru 1,260, Mandya 1,153, Bengaluru Rural 1,079, followed by others.
Bengaluru Urban district tops the list of positive cases with a total of 10,14,996, followed by Mysuru at 1,05,487 and Tumakuru at 74,371.
A total of over 2,75,21,028 samples have been tested so far, of which 1,27,668 were tested on Thursday alone.
Karnataka sets up task force to ramp up infra
Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said a task force has been set up to oversee preparations and ramp up infrastructure ahead of a probable third wave.
“The state has ordered 3 crore doses of vaccines — 2 crore Covishield and 1 crore Covaxin. We are floating global tenders to buy 2 crore more,” Yediyurappa told reporters in Bengaluru.
The Chief Minister also explained the various measures adopted since the outbreak of COVID in the state last year.
Speaking on the measures his government has taken so far to mitigate the crisis, he said the recent lockdown-like restrictions brought down the infections in the state from over 50,000 to less than 40,000.
Government to appoint Gagan Deep Kang as adviser on vaccination strategy
The Chief Minister said the government was appointing Prof Kang as an adviser on vaccination strategy. “She is a member of several advisory committees for the World Health Organisation (WHO) mainly related to research and the use of vaccines,” he added.
#JUSTIN: The government of Karnataka is appointing Prof. Gagan Deep Kang, Professor of Microbiology, Christian Medical College, Vellore, as an adviser on vaccination strategy in the state. (1/2) @IndianExpress pic.twitter.com/E4xQRdjjN6
— Darshan Devaiah B P 😷 (@DarshanDevaiahB) May 13, 2021
According to Yediyurappa, 1.10 crore doses have been supplied by the Centre to the state to date, of which 99.5 lakh are Covishield vaccines and 10.9 lakh are Covaxin.
He added that 14.87 lakh beneficiaries have completed 6 weeks after taking the first dose of Covishield vaccine and are eligible for a second one, whereas 5.10 lakh beneficiaries have completed four weeks after taking the first dose of Covaxin.
Thus, a total of 19.97 lakh people are eligible for second dose as on May 13. The state government had on Wednesday announced suspension of the vaccination drive for people between the age of 18 and 44 due to the shortage of vaccine.