Bengaluru, June 3 (IANS):
Karnataka has crossed the 300-mark in active Covid-19 cases, prompting heightened vigilance from health authorities, especially as schools reopened on Monday after the summer break. The state’s Health and Family Welfare Department confirmed 87 new infections in the past 24 hours, pushing the total number of active cases to 311.
Of these, 297 patients are under home quarantine while 14 are hospitalised, three of whom are in Intensive Care Units in both government and private facilities. The positivity rate stands at 17.2 per cent, though no Covid-related fatalities have been reported so far.
The development comes amid growing concern over a parallel surge in Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) and influenza cases. Since January, Karnataka has recorded 4,536 such cases, including 154 in the past week alone, indicating a steep upward trend. Health officials have begun conducting COVID-19 tests for patients exhibiting SARI and influenza symptoms.
Doctors have urged the public not to ignore early signs such as fever, cough, fatigue, nasal congestion, headache, breathing difficulties, and sore throat — symptoms common to both COVID-19 and seasonal respiratory illnesses.
Bengaluru continues to remain the epicentre of the outbreak, accounting for the majority of active COVID-19 cases in the state.
In a related development, Karnataka’s Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao announced the expansion of the Gruha Arogya Yojana (Home Health Scheme) statewide. The initiative, which focuses on the prevention and early detection of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), now includes 14 such conditions for screening.
Initially launched in Kolar district, the programme aims to screen individuals above 30 years of age in every household and ensure they receive timely medication. “Private healthcare tends to focus on treatment, but prevention is our priority,” said Minister Rao, adding that the government must take the lead as others may not.
The state’s proactive approach reflects a dual strategy to curb the resurgence of COVID-19 while simultaneously tackling the rising threat of NCDs through community-level health interventions.
