Covid-19 Daily Update - May 2

Karnataka reports 12 new cases today and 3 deaths. The country tries to make sense of the various zones in an attempt to get back to some normalcy and we take a look at what it costs to treat a Covid-19 patient. All this and more on the daily update with Akhil Kadidal and Surksha Pinnu.

Links: NRAI: https://r4r.nrai.org/

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This the daily Covid update from Deccan Herald.
On the bulletin today...Karnataka reports 12 new cases and 3 deaths… some details emerge regarding the lockdown guidelines issued yesterday...and a look at what Karnataka spends in treating Covid-19 patients...
And Nitin looks at the latest fake news...But first, a look at the national numbers.
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At the time of this recording nearly 2000 fresh cases have been reported from across the country today.
Over 27,000 people are active carriers of the virus.
More than 10,000 patients have recovered since they were first tested and...The country has registered 1,031 covid-related deaths so far. More than 39,000 cases have been reported from across India till date.
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The Indian Council of Medical Research has collected more than 9 lakh samples for testing from across the country since the first case was reported.
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A quick look at some of the state numbers now. Maharashtra continues to report the most number of Covid-19 cases in the country, the state reported 790 fresh cases today, and is fast approaching 10,000 active cases. 333 fresh cases have come in from Gujarat, pushing the number of active cases to the 4000 mark.
Punjab registered 187 new cases today, and if you remember, it was one of the first states to extend the lockdown. Tamil Nadu has 231 new cases today and has the highest number of active cases among the Southern Indian states. Karnataka is in the 12th spot with 304 active cases.
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The state has reported 12 new cases today. So far 601 positive cases have been reported, out of which 304 cases are still active. 7 patients are in the ICU and 271 patients have been discharged so far. The state saw 3 deaths in the last 24 hours.
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All three deceased are in the 60 to 85 age group.
Patient 556, a 69 year old man from Davengere with a past history of Diabetes and heart disease, who had been admitted due to SARI, died last night due to cardiac arrest.
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Patient 590, an 82 year old man from Bidar, who had been admitted due to SARI died on April 28th, his sample was found positive for Covid-19.
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Patient 557, a 63 year old man from Bengaluru Urban, who was also on chemotherapy died due to cardiac arrest. He is the first cancer patient to have succumbed to Covid-19 in the state.
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Among the 12 new cases reported today, 4 are from Bengaluru Urban. Of these, 3 are contacts of Patient 565, who had tested positive on April 30th after a complaint of Influenza Like Illness. Two cases have been reported from Tumakuru and Vijayapura. Belagavi, Bagalkote, Chikkaballapura and Bidar have reported once each. Except for a case of SARI from Bidar, all others are contacts of previously diagnosed patients.
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In national news, there is some more clarity regarding the new guidelines released as part of the Lockdown extension.
According to the guidelines, marriages and funerals are permitted in non-containment zones. However, not more than 50 guests are permitted in case of a wedding, and 20 in the event of a funeral.
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E-commerce commerce companies are now permitted to deliver non-essential items like laptops, books and electrical appliances in green and orange zones from May 4, while only essential items will be delivered in red zones. There will be no delivery by e-commerce firms in any containment zones.
All employees in public and private sectors attending work from May 4 will have to compulsorily download 'Aarogya Setu' app that helps in identifying the possibility of contracting Covid-19, according to the new guidelines.
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Private offices can resume functioning in all zones, except containment zones from May 4th, but with 33% strength.
Activists have raised concerns about security of the app as well as privacy concerns as they say that the app deviates from the international best practices of contact tracing apps and fails to comply with data protection standards.
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Domestic helps can now go back to work across the country, but the authorities have left it to the Resident Welfare Associations to take the final call.This has heightened the vulnerability of domestic workers across the country, who are denied wages in a large number of cases for April as many could not attend work due to lockdown.
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The Ministry of Civil Aviation has extended the restriction on domestic and international passenger flights till May 17. The circular reiterates that both foreign and domestic airlines will be ‘suitably’ informed about restarting operations.
The restriction will not apply to international, all-cargo flights, and to those specifically approved by the Director General of Civil Aviation.
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In news from Karnataka,
The Karnataka state government has decided to write to the Centre, asking that Bengaluru be split into different zones, so that economic activity can resume in areas that have not registered any Covid-19 cases.
As of now, Bengaluru Urban, is seen as one unit, and the district has been declared a red zone.
According to the latest data from the State Covid War Room, there are currently 12 wards which are listed as “red zones” within the city. This signifies that a Covid case was reported there in the last 14 days. Another 12 wards are listed as “orange zones,” where a covid case was reported in the last 15 to 28 days.
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State Revenue Minister, R Ashoka, who is also the district in-charge of Bengaluru Rural, has said the district no longer has active cases, and must be marked orange, so that industries can re-open. Most industries are in the Nelamanagala, Doddaballapura and Hoskote region.
The government has decided to permit cement factories, steel units, stone crushers, shops selling electrical goods, sanitary products and construction-related items, to prevent the exodus of migrant workers.
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The state government has withdrawn its controversial decision to charge migrant workers, three times the usual bus fare. However, there is still no clarity regarding the revised fares.
Many workers had used up the last bit of their savings to buy a ticket, while many who have been without work for more than a month, could not afford to. Earlier in the day, KSRTC had announced that travellers would pay a single fare - and that the Labour department would foot the bill for the buses returning empty. District collectors who had been hiring the buses on contract to bring workers home last week, have stopped doing so.
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If you’ve wondered what the cost of treatment for Covid-19 is, the government is spending between 1.40 to 2.8 lakh rupees for the treatment of a single Covid-19 patient in the state, according to experts.
The price range is due to the diverse range of Covid-19 treatments and the duration of treatment. Of the 251 people discharged so far in the State, the majority spent 22 days in hospital quarantine and care. A survey of hospital costs across the designated hospitals has revealed that the standard cost of care for non-ICU Covid patients ranges from 10,000 to 20,000 rupees per day in government hospitals. ICU care results in a 55% increase in this rate. Ambulance costs, testing costs and PPE costs also push the costs higher.
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Moving on, in our fake news segment today, Nitin looks at viral forwards on social media, that have been creating a buzz for all the wrong reasons.

This particular post is running wild on WhatsApp and Instagram. It says that 31 people tested positive for Covid-19 in a Delhi locality, and that 26 of them belonged to a single family. The post further says that this is why India needs the controversial population control bill. On April 18, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal live-streamed a 10-minute update on the coronavirus situation. He had specified that a family of 26 had tested positive from the Jahangirpuri ward.
This piece of information was quickly published by various media outlets, and related tweets went viral.
A handle which goes by the name India Policy, had tweeted that the family of 26, with a husband, his two wives, 12 daughters, 7 sons and more had contracted the virus. The handle has more than one-lakh followers. Tejinder Pal Singh Bagga, a BJP spokesperson retweeted the same promptly.
What’s the truth then?
Fact-checking platform AltNews has published the list of 31 people who tested positive for Covid-19 in Jahangirpuri, which dismantles the mischief at play.
According to AltNews, Poonam Ashwini Bagri, the municipal councillor of Jahangirpuri has clearly stated that there is no 26-member family in the 31 cases, and that she doesn’t understand why the Chief Minister chose to highlight this.
Stay tuned for more fake news takedowns.
Because, unquestioned fake news is as good as the truth.
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Before we go,
for most of us in Tier 1 cities, restaurants provide not just a weekend respite but are important aspects of city life. And ever since the lockdown, most hotels and restaurants have been in a crisis.
The National Restaurant Association of India, which represents the interests of over 6 lakh restaurants across India, has launched a first-of-its-kind platform to support its members and their employees.
The scheme is known as Rise For Restaurants.
Diners can support restaurants by buying virtual cash worth Rs 1000 from a list of restaurants across India; the link is also in the description below. This can be redeemed in the future against dining bills at the respective restaurants. At the time of purchase, customers only pay Rs 250.
This amount will contribute towards paying the wages and salaries of restaurant employees. The remaining Rs 500 is to be paid by the customer only when they dine at the restaurant.
For the list of participating restaurants in your city, click on the link provided in the description.
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For the latest updates, log on to deccanerald.com.