Mar 13: COVID-19 cases in Karnataka surge past 900 mark
Bengaluru, Mar 13: The COVID-19 case count shot past the 900 mark in Karnataka on Saturday, including one with the South African strain, taking the caseload to just above 9.59 lakh, while a lone fatality took the toll to 12,387, the health department said.
Recoveries outnumbered new cases, with 992 people being discharged from hospitals, as against 921 infections.
Karnataka has been witnessing a rapid rise in cases since March 8, when it logged 436 cases. The state recorded 590 the following day and the figure shot up to 833 on March 12.
Bengaluru Urban continued to head the list of cases, accounting for 630 infections, but for the first time in many months, reported zero fatalities.
Cumulatively, 9,59,338 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 12,387 deaths and 9,38,890 discharges, the health department said in a bulletin.
Of the 8,042 active cases, 123 are in Intensive Care Units of various hospitals, it said.
Mysuru was second in number of cases with 47, Dakshina Kannada reported 43, Tumakuru 38, Kalaburagi 35, Bidar 15, Bengaluru Rural and Udupi reported 13 each and Hassan 11.
Four districts -- Chamarajanagar, Haveri, Koppal and Ramanagara --reported zero cases and fatalities.
The lone fatality in the state on Saturday was reported from Mysuru.
A total of 1.97 crore samples have been tested so far, out of which 72,650 were on Saturday alone, the bulletin said.
With one more person testing positive for the South African strain of the virus, the total has gone up to three.
Twenty nine people have so far been detected with the U.K strain of the virus.
A total of 9,344 people were vaccinated on Saturday, the bulletin said, adding no instance of AEFI (Adverse Events Following Immunisation) was reported.
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Heavy rain, hailstorms lash parts of Uttarakhand; all districts put on high alert
Dehradun (PTI): Heavy rain and hailstorms accompanied by strong winds lashed several districts of Uttarakhand on Sunday morning, prompting the state administration to put all district authorities on high alert.
The sudden change in weather caused uprooted trees to block roads and disrupted power supply at various locations.
Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman chaired a review meeting with district officials to assess the situation.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast light to moderate rain and thunderstorms at most places across all districts for Monday and Tuesday. Snowfall is expected in regions situated at altitudes of 4,000 metres and above.
An 'orange alert' remains in place for Dehradun, Haridwar, Tehri, Pauri, Nainital, Champawat, and Udham Singh Nagar. These districts are likely to witness isolated heavy rain, hailstorms, and intense to very intense spells of rain accompanied by gusty winds reaching speeds of 40-50 kmph, the IMD said.
The weather office predicted that maximum temperatures across the state are likely to fall by 3-5 degrees Celsius over the next three to four days. During the past 24 hours, maximum temperatures remained "markedly below normal" in the plains and ranged from "markedly" to "appreciably" below normal in the hilly regions.
Dehradun experienced dark, overcast skies early Sunday, creating night-like conditions during morning hours. The city recorded a maximum temperature of 34.7 degrees Celsius, 5.3 degrees Celsius below the seasonal average.
For the state capital, the forecast predicts a partly to generally cloudy sky with a high of 31 degrees Celsius and a low of 19 degrees Celsius.
Significant rainfall was recorded across the state after 8.30 am on Sunday, with Jollygrant receiving 21.6 mm and Mohakampur recording 19.8 mm. Other areas, including Mukteshwar (15.0 mm), Mussoorie (13.4 mm), and Pithoragarh (8.5 mm), also saw measurable precipitation.
Secretary Suman directed officials to clear blocked roads on priority to ensure public convenience. Specific instructions were issued regarding the Char Dham Yatra, ordering that helicopter services must operate strictly according to weather conditions to ensure pilgrims' safety.
Isolated places in the remaining hilly districts are also expected to experience thunderstorms with lightning and intense rain spells.
