: The total number of COVID-19 infections breached the 400 mark in Karnataka, with 18 cases being confirmed on Monday even as the state cabinet decided to continue the lockdown measures till May 3 without any relaxation.
Cumulatively 408 coronavirus have been confirmed in the state, which includes 16 deaths and 12 discharges, the health department said in a bulletin.
Of the 280 active cases, 278 patients (including a pregnant woman) are in isolation at designated hospitals and are stable, while two are in Intensive Care Units.
Minister S Suresh Kumar, spokesperson for COVID-19 in Karnataka, told reporters that the government planned to identify cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) and Influenza like Illness (ILI) in all districts to control the fatality rate.
He said action was being taken against hospitals that are not reporting about such vulnerable cases.
"Out of 16 deaths that have occurred in the state, 80 per cent are those aged above 60 years, 11 of them are with SARI history.
The minister also appealed to those developing any symptoms to immediately go to designated hospitals and said most of the deaths had occurred as people approached hospitals at a very late stage.
He also said the number of SARI cases tested positive as of date was 29 and ILI, 2.
Kumar said all 18 cases reported on Monday, nine of them men and an equal number of women, were contacts of patients who had already tested positive.
Contact tracing has been initiated and was in progress for all the cases, the health department said.
Nine out of total of 408 cases detected and confirmed in Karnataka so far are transit passengers of Kerala.
Bengaluru urban tops the state with 89 cases, followed by Mysuru 84 and Belagavi 42.
Of the total of 112 patients discharged so far, the maximum of 45 was from Bengaluru, while Mysuru accounted for 24 and 11 were fromfrom Dakshina Kannada, the bulletin said.
Among the deceased, four are from Bengaluru urban, three from Kalaburagi, two each from Chikkaballapura and Vijayapura, and one each from Belagavi, Bagalkote, Gadag, Dakshina Kannada and Tumakuru
The Minister said as on date there are 10 COVID free districts -- Chamarajanagara, Chikkamagaluru, Hassan, Haveri, Kolar, Koppal, Raichur, Ramanagara, Shivamogga and Yadgir.
He said not a single positive case was reported from Kodagu in the last 32 days and from Chitradurge in the last 26 days.
Davangere had not reported any positive case in the last 25 days and Udupi in 22 days, he said.
The minister said a total of 23,460 samples had been tested so far, of which 2,093 were on Monday alone.
So far 19,497 samples had reported negative, of which 1,835 were on Monday alone.
Sharing details about Nanjanagudu in Mysuru district, which has one of the larger clusters in the state, Kumar said 2,098 people were quarantined, of whom 1,960 were tested.
Sixty nine among them tested positive, 1,891 were negative and results of 138 others are awaited, he said.
Of the total number tested, 1,483 were employees of Jubilant Pharma company and 477 were their family members
Out of total 84 positive cases in Mysuru district, 69 were from the pharma company, 10 were linked with the Tablighi Jamaat and the others were those who returned from abroad.
On Tablighi Jamaat related cases in the state, Kumar said direct infections after returning from Delhi was 20, while 103 of their contacts tested positive.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka cabinet on Monday decided to continue the COVID-19 lockdown measures currently in force in the state till May 3 without any relaxation.
However, leaving a window open, it authorised Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and the COVID-19 Task Force to meet in three or four days to review and take further decision about any relaxation, the minister told reporters here.
The Cabinet also decided to promulgate an ordinance, giving it special powers to control the spread of COVID-19, including providing protection to frontline health workers and making non- cooperation with government a punishable offence.
The government did this after going through similar ordinances of the Kerala and Uttar Pradesh governments.
Kumar said, as on date 19 containment zones have been identified in BBMP (Bengaluru civic body) area based on COVID-19 cases.
Among them eight are in Bengaluru south, East 4, West 3, Rajarajeshwri Nagar and Bommanahalli one each and Mahadevapura 2.
Containment measures will be strictly followed in these containment zones, the minister said.
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