Karnataka reports sharp dip in COVID cases with 2,258 infections and 22 deaths
Bengaluru: Karnataka continued to show a sharp decline in new coronavirus cases with 2,258 fresh infections and 22 deaths, taking the tally and cumulative fatalities to 8,44,147 and 11,369 respectively on Saturday.
There were as many as 1,06,317 tests done today including 78,494 using the RT-PCR and other methods taking the total tests done so far to 86.20 lakh, the health department said.
The state had reported an alarming trend of over 10,500 infections and over 200 fatalities a day for almost a week, in the last week of September to the first week of October.
The total infections comprise 7,99,439 discharges cumulatively including 2,235 on Saturday and 33,320 total active cases including 887 in the ICU, a health department bulletin said.
Bengaluru Urban district accounted for 1,046 fresh infections and 7 deaths.
It is after many months that the city has reported fatalities in single digits due to coronavirus.
Cumulatively, the city has reported 3,47,748 infections, 3,945 deaths, 3,25,824 discharges, including 502 on Saturday, and 17,978 active cases.
According to the health bulletin, 165 cases were reported in Tumakuru, 98 in Chitradurga, 83 in Hassan, 79 in Mysuru, 72 in Dakshina Kannada, 70 in Bengaluru Rural, 68 in Mandya, 63 in Chikkamagaluru, 58 in Vijayapura, 56 in Chikkaballapura and 55 in Ballari.
Bagalkote, Belagavi, Chamarajanagar, Davangere, Dharwad, Gadag, Haveri, Kalaburagi, Kolar, Koppal, and Raichur were also among the districts from where the fresh coronavirus cases were reported.
The department said three deaths due to COVID-19 took place in Tumakuru and two deaths each in Kolar and Mysuru.
One death each took place in Ballari, Belagavi, Bengaluru Rural, Bidar, Dakshina Kannada, Dharwad, Udupi, and Uttara Kannada.
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Anbumani asks PM Modi to ban sale of cigarettes for those born after 2009
Chennai (PTI): PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take legislative measures to prohibit smoking and the sale of cigarettes to individuals born on or after January 1, 2009, thereby creating a smoke-free generation.
Anbumani, former Union minister for health and family welfare, said, "Once implemented, it (ban on cigarettes) will ensure that future generations are legally prevented from ever accessing tobacco products", he said in a letter to Modi.
"I write to you with a deep sense of urgency and responsibility, drawing your kind attention to a critical public health issue that continues to endanger the lives of millions of Indians, particularly among the younger generation who are affected by cigarette smoking", he claimed.
Stating that India unfortunately bears a disproportionately high burden of tobacco-related morbidity and mortality, he said, adding that, according to global health estimates, nearly 267 million Indians, approximately one in five citizens, use tobacco.
"Each year, tobacco consumption directly accounts for over 1.35 million deaths, while exposure to second-hand smoke contributes to a total of approximately 2.3 million deaths annually", he said, adding, "these figures are alarming and reflect a public health crisis of immense magnitude".
He pointed out that Scientific evidence unequivocally establishes tobacco use as a leading cause of cancer and numerous non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular ailments, chronic respiratory diseases such as COPD, and multiple forms of malignancies. "In India alone, tobacco is responsible for nearly 40–50 per cent of all cancer cases, with over 4.7 lakh deaths annually attributed to tobacco-induced cancers", he added.
"In this context, I strongly urge the Union government to consider enacting a transformative law similar to that of the United Kingdom, that permanently prohibits the sale and consumption of tobacco products for individuals born on or after a specified year (such as 2009). Such a generational ban would mark a decisive step towards eliminating tobacco use in India over time", he said.
