PM tells K’taka to increase testing, surveillance to contain Covid
IANS
Bengaluru, 24 Sept 2020: Lauding Karnataka for conducting Covid tests in a scientific way, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday told the southern state to increase surveillance and ramp up testing to check the pandemic.
“Increase surveillance and ramp-up RT-PCR tests to three-fold. Focus more on nine districts which have the highest number of deaths,” Modi told state Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa during a video conference from New Delhi.
Advocating a mission mode approach over the next six months, Modi called for strict enforcement in containment zones across the state to check the virus spread.
“Re-test all symptomatic negative results of anti-gen tests and ensure wide publicity on precautionary measures through the media,” he said.
Advising the state to regularly monitor those who are in home isolation after testing Covid positive and under treatment for being asymptomatic, Modi told Yediyurappa to organise awareness programmes on Covid-19 across the state.
“Jeevan bhi aur jeevika bhi (graded opening of economic activities after ensuring adequate testing and hospital infrastructure), asserted Modi.
State Health Minister B. Sriramulu, Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakar, Chief Secretary T.M. Vijaya Bhaskar and Additional Chief Secretary E.V. Ramana Reddy participated in the two-hour long meeting at the Chief Minister’s office in the city centre.
Though new cases have been moderating of late and recoveries increasing, the state ranks second after Maharashtra across the country in terms of active cases at 94,652 till date, while 5,40,847 have been infected since March 8 when the pandemic broke.
With 5,460 discharged during the day across the state, 4,37,910 patients have been treated so far, while the death toll has gone up to 8,266 till date, including 38 in the last 24 hours.