With an uptick in the daily cases of Covid-19 in Delhi, the Karnataka government advised the usage of masks in closed spaces as a precautionary measure to prevent a possible spike in the number of cases in the state.
“We have been observing data from Delhi and two other states on a weekly basis. In the last two weeks, there has been a consistent increase in the number of cases but I have sought information on the hospital admissions and virulence. We are holding a review meeting of the health department today (Wednesday) and we shall look at this aspect as well,” Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar said Wednesday morning.
“We have issued an advisory for the use of masks but people are not using them. They should be used at least indoors and during meetings in closed spaces. There has also not been much interest in availing the third doses of the vaccines. Around 20 lakh to 30 lakh people have not even taken the second dose,” Sudhakar said.
Karnataka has reported around 338 Covid-19 cases over the last week with over 300 cases being reported from Bengaluru. An average of around 40 cases have been reported on a daily basis. There has, however, been a slight increase in the test positivity rate which was below one per cent consistently but touched the one per cent mark on April 17.
“We have seen in the past that once the cases spike in Delhi, it also tends to increase in other parts of the country like Bengaluru. It is good for us to exercise caution in such a situation. There has been no spike in Karnataka so far,” the minister added.
“We do not know if it is the fourth wave in Delhi or whether cases are increasing for some other reason. We have to study. Usage of masks is the minimum precaution that can be taken at present and we should follow the advisory to use masks,” the health minister said.
While experts and doctors are in a debate over whether it is time to do away with masks, people have virtually discarded them even in closed places across Karnataka.
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Uptick of Covid-19 cases in Delhi gets Karnataka on toes, govt … – The Indian Express
