1. Record 44 Positive Cases in 24 Hours Take Karnataka’s Corona Count to 359
Karnataka added nearly 100 cases in the past 72 hours with 44 persons testing positive for COVID-19 on Friday, taking the total number of the infected in the state to 359.
Friday’s cases — the highest in a single day for the state — come on the back of 36 cases on Thursday and 19 on Wednesday.
Eleven of the 12 new cases from Mysuru are linked to the Nanjangud cluster; 10 cases have been reported from Bengaluru, seven from Ballari, five from Belagavi, three each from Mandya and Chikkaballapur, two from Vijayapura, and one each from the Dakshina Kannada and Bidar districts.
(Source: The Times of India)
2. What Social Distancing? Nikhil Kumaraswamy Weds in Farmhouse
Social distancing and other norms imposed by the government do not appear to have been heeded by former Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy’s family as his son and actor Nikhil Kumaraswamy got married in the presence of guests at a farmhouse in Ramanagara on Friday, 17 April.
Visuals from the ceremony showed several people crowding around the couple, not wearing masks.
Following a high profile engagement in February, Nikhil Kumaraswamy got married to his fiancee Revathi in the presence of over 100 guests, reportedly.
Revathi is the grand-niece of senior Karnataka Congress leader and former minister M Krishnappa.
(Source: The Quint)
3. School Syllabus for 2020-21 Likely to be Reduced
State syllabus textbooks for the 2020-21 academic year will be revised, with the Department of Primary and Secondary Education planning to omit a few chapters and reduce the syllabus for all classes.
Primary and Secondary Education Minister S. Suresh Kumar said officials of the department have been directed to submit a proposal on the same by conducting meetings with experts. Sources said he has asked officers to do so as per the guidelines of the National Council for Education Research and Training (NCERT).
This development comes after private school managements made a similar request to the government as the 2020-21 academic year is likely to be reduced because of the coronavirus lockdown.
(Source: The Hindu)
4. Production of Country-Made Liquor Goes up Across Karnataka During Lockdown
The production and sale of country-made liquor – or hooch – that is banned in Karnataka, has increased during the lockdown, according to officials in several districts. In many districts of the state, hundreds of barrels of such liquor have been seized.
The lockdown has affected several people who have alcohol dependence, and in many cases, people have either died by suicide or poisoning due to the unavailability of alcohol. And while government policies have not been clear on helping those with alcohol addiction, the sale of hooch has been going up in many places.
According to sources, hooch that used to be sold at Rs 40 earlier is now being sold for Rs 110. However, since branded beverages cost five times their MRP in the black market, people prefer to buy hooch.
(Source: The News Minute)
5. City Researchers Await Nod for Plasma Therapy
Two research proposals from Karnataka to study the potential use of convalescent plasma therapy in treating coronavirus infection are awaiting approval of the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI). One was sent three weeks ago by a team of doctors attached to a private hospital in Bengaluru. The other was forwarded as a collective request recently by dedicated COVID-19 government hospitals.
Plasma is the almost clear liquid part of the blood. (About 55% of our blood is plasma.) The plasma of somebody who has overcome an illness contains antibodies, protective proteins that fight disease and antigens like viruses. This is called convalescent plasma.
Globally, the hope is that a transfusion of convalescent plasma, derived from a person who has fully recovered from coronavirus, could boost the ability of critically ill COVID-19 patients to fight the virus.
(Source: The Times of India)
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