Karnataka Covid lockdown news live: Scarcity of antiviral drug hurting black fungus fight

With the exam entrance postponed, a group of fresh MBBS graduates from Kundapur in Udpui district, who have been preparing for the PG-NEET for almost a year, have joined the frontlines of the battle against Covid-19 by opting to work at the government hospital in Kundapur. This handful of doctors is now trying to strike the right balance between study and working in the Covid ward. Among them is Dr Rachana Shetty, a NEET aspirant, who graduated from Mahatma Gandhi Mission (MGM) Hospital, Navi Mumbai, but was forced to return to her hometown following the death of her father Suresh Shetty, a hotelier in February this year.

A woman, who was allegedly denied admission to Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences (MIMS) because she did not have a Covid negative certificate, gave birth on the pavement outside the hospital. The baby died immediately after delivery on Wednesday. Relatives claim Sonu was forced to wait outside the hospital for more than two hours as hospital authorities insisted that she produce a Covid negative certificate. Her husband Ismail and relatives pleaded with medical staff to admit her, but hospital authorities refused to budge.

A scarecrow, with a full-sleeved shirt, skirt and armed with a stick, stands guard at the entrance of a remote village in Koppal district. Decked in neem leaves, limes, chillies and vermilion, superstitious farmers erected it last week after a dozen people in the village contracted Covid-19. Known as ‘Corona Amma’, clones of the creatively rendered scarecrow have now been erected in several other villages in remote areas in North Karnataka. Locals claim this has been a tradition for decades when villages were hit by diseases like dengue and malaria. As the pandemic continues to ravage villages across the state, people in backward areas are resorting to superstitious practices to ward off the virus. Some of these practices are centuries old. Videos of some of the rituals have been widely shared on social media too.

Government-run Cheluvamba hospital, one of the oldest in the country and part of Mysuru Medical College and Research Institute (MMCRI), will soon commence Covaxin clinical trials among children and young adults in the age group two to 18 years. MMCRI’s human ethical committee has granted approval for the trial. CP Nanjaraj, dean and director of the institute and Dr HB Shashidhar, member secretary of the ethical committee, said Cheluvamba hospital is one of five sites selected for the trial across the state. It’s the only hospital in the state selected for pediatric trials of the Covid-19 vaccine.

From an allocation of a mere 300 tonnes of liquid medical oxygen on April 22 when the second wave of the Covid-19 infection was rising in Karnataka, the state government managed to get the Centre to increase it to 1,200 tonnes a month later. However, despite the increased allocation, about 340 tonnes of the resource continues to be lying “unused” due to logistical issues since it has to be transported from other states. Munish Moudgil, DPAR secretary and nodal officer for oxygen supply, admitted that the state government is finding it difficult to resolve these logistical problems.

Many patients infected with mucormycosis, or black fungus, are in a tight spot as doctors in many private hospitals continue to prescribe a vital anti-fungal drug, which is unavailable in the open market. Specialists and Covid-19 trackers warn there could be a sharp increase in fatalities due to non-availability of Liposomal Amphotericin B, the anti-fungal drug which is used to treat black fungus infection. Since supply of the drug is meagre, private hospitals are handing out prescriptions to patients’ family members and telling them to source the drug on their own.