Karnataka Covid-19 wrap: State reports 1,653 cases and 31 deaths; vaccination for school staff on priority

Karnataka reported 1,653 new Covid-19 cases and 31 deaths Thursday, taking the total number of infections past 28.89 lakh and the toll to 36,293.

The day also saw 2,572 recoveries — once again higher than new infections — bringing the active caseload down to 24,695. Out of the 1,653 new cases, 418 cases were from Bengaluru Urban.

The test positivity rate stood at 1.17 percent and the case fatality rate at 1.87 percent.

Karnataka reports 1,653 fresh Covid cases, 2,572 discharges, and 31 deaths on Thursday. Bengaluru reports 418 cases and 3 deaths @IndianExpress pic.twitter.com/AOIUHj1mQL

— Express Bengaluru (@IEBengaluru) July 22, 2021

Vaccination for school staff

All teaching and non-teaching staff of all government, aided and unaided schools will be vaccinated on priority as a safety measure, said Health and Medical Education Minister Dr. K Sudhakar.

Schools will have to reopen sooner or later and students cannot rely on online classes forever, he said. Online classes may impact the psychological health of children and therefore the government will engage in a wide consultation process before arriving at any decision, he added.

The minister underlined that the state will soon cross three crore doses. While permission has been given to reopen medical colleges, other educational institutions will be reopened in a phased manner and measures taken to ensure the safety of students.

5% of total cases being subjected to genomic sequencing

Five percent of the total Covid cases in the state are being subjected to genomic sequencing to look for new variants, the health minister said.

“Everything is being done scientifically. The information is shared with ICMR,” added Sudhakar.