16 Covid cases reported in last 3 days in C’nagar

Mysuru: With election fever gripping the state, Chamarajanagar district has seen a spike in Covid cases, with 16 cases reported in the last three days. Thirteen cases have been reported in Gundlupet taluk alone, bordering Kerala, as the number of Covid positive cases have shot up all over the country.
District authorities said all the 16 infected persons have so far shown only mild symptoms and they have been quarantined at home, while testing has been ramped up all across the district.
With large gatherings likely at political rallies and meetings during campaigning all over the state for the next one month, as election is slated for May 10, there is every possibility of the number of cases going up.
Keeping such a scenario in mind, district surgeon Dr Krishnaprasad told TOI that people should avoid large gatherings, wear masks and maintain social distancing – even at weddings and other social functions.
With 13 cases reported from Gundlupet taluk, district health authorities have intensified measures to identify the primary and secondary contacts of infected family members and provide them with prompt treatment if they are found to bear Covid-like symptoms such as cough, cold and fever.
Those in home isolation have been kept under the surveillance of local Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA), revenue and panchayat department officials, and primary health centres under the supervision of the taluk health officer, sources said.
Since conducting more tests is key to a more effective containment mechanism, district health authorities have directed the taluk health officers at Hanur, Kollegal, Yelandur, Chamarajanagar and Gundlupet to conduct 200 tests daily for people with symptoms.
Speaking to STOI, Dr KM Vishweshwaraiah, the Chamarajanagar district health officer, said there could be several reasons behind the sudden spike in cases, such as new variants of the virus still emerging and spreading even among vaccinated individuals and relaxation of restrictions with the earlier decline in Covid cases.
However, he said that the department has made all necessary preparations to tackle the spread of the virus in the district. He further said a Covid-care unit with ten ICU beds has been kept ready exclusively for the treatment of Covid patients in the district hospital.