A 73-year-old COVID-19 patient has died in Tumakuru, taking the death toll in the state due to the infection to 21, the Karnataka government said on Wednesday.
The elderly man had a history of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI), Minister S Suresh Kumar, who is spokesperson for COVID-19 in Karnataka, told reporters in the daily press briefing.
A bulletin released by the Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Department stated that he also suffered from diabetes and asthma. He was admitted to the designated COVID-19 hospital in Tumakuru and died on Wednesday.
A total of 12 new cases were confirmed in the state on Wednesday, including the deceased patient from Tumakuru. Among the 12 new cases, including the dead, who have reported positive, five are children (below the age of 18). This includes four girls in the age group of 4-17 years, while one is a 12 year-old-boy.
Eight out of the total twelve cases are from Kalaburagi, and one each are from Hukkeri in Belagavi district, Davangere, Tumakuru and Nanjanaguru (Mysuru).
From across the state, most number of infections have been reported in Bengaluru urban with 131 cases, followed by Mysuru 88 and Belagavi 53.
A total of 216 patients have made a complete recovery after being infected with the coronavirus. This accounts for nearly 40% of the total cases in the state. Out of a total of 216 patients discharged so far, the maximum of 58 is from Bengaluru, 56 from Mysuru, and 11 from Chikkaballapura.
Cumulatively, 535 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 21 deaths and 216 discharges. Earlier, a 65-year-old patient from Sira in Tumakuru had died after testing positive. It has been over six weeks since the first coronavirus case was reported in Karnataka on March 8. The state had also reported the first COVID-19 death in the country when a man from Kalaburagi passed away on March 10.
There are 123 containment zones in Karnataka, Suresh Kumar confirmed. They house 4.12 lakh people and nearly 6000 shops and establishments. They also have 73,917 homes while more than 36 lakh people are currently residing in buffer zones in the state.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka government on Wednesday decided to conduct COVID-19 testing for frontline government employees besides bracing for the return of those from the state stranded abroad.
The government is also making arrangements to bring back those from the state, including migrant workers stranded in Gujarat by buses.
A plan of action is also getting ready on the procedures to be followed when the Centre brings back Indians, including 10,823 from the state, stranded abroad.
"Already media persons and frontline police personnel are undergoing COVID-19 tests, today's new circular is for frontline government employees," Suresh Kumar told reporters.
Stating that officers and staff of other departments, who have been working hand-in-hand with the health department might be at a risk of exposure to coronavirus infection, he said it has been decided to go for one time linear screening of all those frontline officers and workers of Benagaluru city to begin with.
In Bengaluru, the tests will be conducted at the KCG Hospital.
With PTI inputs