1. COVID-19: Karnataka to Start Convalescent Plasma Therapy From Saturday
Karnataka will initiate convalescent plasma (CP) therapy for critically-ill COVID-19 patients beginning Saturday, state Education Minister Suresh Kumar, who is in-charge of addressing the press in the wake of the pandemic, said on Friday, 24 April.
Convalescent plasma therapy is an experimental treatment, injecting plasma of patients who have recovered from the disease to those who are still infected. This treatment procedure has previously been used for treating Ebola virus and Spanish flu patients.
“The doctors will collect the plasma of two-three such donors who have voluntarily come forward for the programme. Doctors cannot collect plasma from patients who already have certain comorbidities or are above 60 years of age,” Minister Suresh Kumar said.
(Source: The News Minute)
2. K'taka Records 29 New Cases, Total Cases Jump to 474
A total of 29 nine new cases were reported in Karnataka on Friday. Out of 304 active cases in the state, five are in ICU. The number of people discharged stands at 152 and the number of fatalities remain 18.
Dakshina Kannada district administration on Thursday night had a tough time during the cremation of Patient 432, a 75-year-old woman who died of Covid-19. The authorities had arranged the cremation at Pacchanady crematorium.
But due to the protest by the locals, the body was shifted to Moodushedde, where they were again met with resistance by the locals and their MLA Umanath Kotian. Finally, the body was cremated at Kaikunje in Bantwal amid tight police security.
(Source: Deccan Herald)
3. Five Arrested for Violence in Bengaluru Test Positive for Coronavirus in Jail
Five people who were arrested and jailed for the violence in Bengaluru’s Padarayanapura ward have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The five individuals were lodged in the Ramanagara jail along with 116 others who werearrested for the violence on Sunday.
According to a medical bulletin released by the Karnataka Health Department on Friday, the five are patients 449, 450, 452, 453 and 454 and they have also since been isolated at the Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru.
The patients are all male, while P-449 is 30 years old, P-450 is 22, P-452 is 35, P-453 is a 32-year-old and P-452 is 23.
(Source: The News Minute)
4. Senior IAS Officer to Inquire COVID-19 Cases of Pharma Company: Karnataka Govt
The Karnataka government on Friday appointed a senior IAS officer to inquire into COVID-19 infections to Jubilant pharma company factory's employees at Mysuru's Nanjanagudu.
Chief Secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar in an order has asked IAS officer Harsh Gupta, who is the nodal officer to oversee COVID-19 control measures in Mysuru to inquire into and submit the report in a week's time.
Stating that Nanjanagudu's Jubilant pharma company is the main reason for Mysuru to emerge as COVID-19 hotspot, the order said it is reason for several people getting infected by coronavirus.
(Source: Deccan Herald)
5. K’taka Allows Industries in 9 Virus-free Dists to Restart
The BSY government on Friday gave the green signal for industries to restart in nine districts unaffected by Covid-19 and, hours later, allowed the movement of labourers within the state.
The additional relaxations in the extended lockdown came as life inched to normal in nonhotspots across Karnataka, two days after curbs were eased for the first time to balance containment of the virus and revival of the sagging economy.
Chief secretary TM Vijaya Bhaskar directed district administrations to arrange for KSRTC buses from Saturday to transport labourers to their native places or to places of work. The circular specified such movement must be according to the Covid safety protocol: Labourers must wear masks and gloves, and each bus should seat only 40% of its capacity to ensure social distancing.
(Source: The Times of India)
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