Daughter of Kalaburagi coronavirus victim tests positive; 67 under watch

The daughter of the country’s first Covid-19 victim in Kalaburagi tested positive for the dreaded virus on Sunday, throwing a new challenge to the district administration.

Interestingly, three members of the same family had tested negative on Saturday. With the latest addition, the number of positive cases in Karnataka has reached seven including one death, while the total cases across the nation jumped to 110, with Maharashtra reporting the largest number of positive cases.

The 45-year-old woman was found positive for coronavirus after blood and throat swabs of the victim’s four family members were sent to VDRL in Bengaluru.

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Kalaburagi Deputy Commissioner B Sharat said, “The lab report of the fourth person has tested positive for Covid-19.”

The four have been kept in an isolation ward at ESIC Hospital in Kalaburagi. A total of 67 people, who were in direct contact with the victim and took part in his last rites, have been home-quarantined for 14 days. The district health department is closely monitoring them.

According to sources, the daughter is said to have been infected with the virus while taking care of the victim when he fell ill.

As a precautionary measure, the district administration in Kalaburagi has directed business establishments to down the shutters in the city.

To prevent the further spread of the virus, the deputy commissioner, exercising power under Section 133 of the CrPC, has issued an order banning weekly market, jatra mahotsav and people gathering in large numbers in the district.

As per the health bulletin issued by the government, the total number of isolated people rose to 56 on Sunday, with 31 new persons being admitted to various hospitals across the state.

Nine persons each have been admitted in Bengaluru city and Dakshina Kannada district followed by four each in Bengaluru Rural and Ballari districts, two each in Vijayapura and Gadag districts and one in Dharwad district.

A total of 12 persons — eight in Hassan, three in Bengaluru rural district and one in Chikkamagaluru — have been discharged from the hospital, the bulletin explained.

Blood and throat samples of 131 persons have been collected on Sunday for testing. A total of 189 persons have been kept under home quarantine, taking the total number to 1,495 in the state.

Kalaburagi shuts down

Kalaburagi city shutdown on Sunday after the district administration directed all business establishments to down shutters to prevent the further spread of the virus. Roadside eateries have been banned.

As people were asked to remain indoors, vehicular movement on roads dwindled. Malls and film theaters have remained shut for the past two-three days.