 "Coronavirus")
India reported six Covid-19 deaths with the addition of 358 new cases, according to data provided by the health ministry on Thursday. The number of active cases in the country rose to 2,669.
Kerala alone reported 300 fresh cases and three deaths. As of Thursday, the state accounted for 2,341 cases or 87 per cent of the active caseload in the country. The Kerala government and health department have not provided any district-wise breakup of active cases.
States are increasing vigil as cases continue to rise.
The Karnataka government also announced a cabinet sub-committee comprising experts to coordinate preventive action aimed at containing the spread of Covid-19 and treatment of patients. The state has the second highest active caseload in India with a count of 92, including 13 fresh cases reported on Thursday. The state also saw two deaths in the last 24 hours.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah told reporters that 80 of the active cases in the state had been reported from Bengaluru Urban district. “Out of 92 cases, 72 are under home isolation, while 20 are hospitalised. Of the hospitalised, seven are in ICU (intensive care unit), not only because of Covid but other co-morbidities, too,” he added.
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The Karnataka CM said that the state government had decided to carry out 5,000 Covid-19 tests every day, including 1,500 rapid antigen and 3,500 RT-PCR tests.
This follows the Union health ministry’s advisory asking all states to ramp up testing after the detection of the new JN.1 Covid sub-variant.
Eighteen states and Union Territories have reported zero active cases, while Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Haryana and Rajasthan recording their first active cases, according to the health ministry data.
A senior official from the ministry said there was no plan to make RT-PCR testing mandatory for travelers at airports. Mandatory tests were discontinued by the health ministry after the World Health Organization declared that Covid-19 no longer constituted a public health emergency of international concern in May.
(With inputs from PTI)
