COVID infections in Karnataka breach seven lakh mark with 10,517 fresh cases
Bengaluru:The coronavirus infections in Karnataka breached the seven lakh mark with 10,517 fresh cases on Saturday whereas 102 fatalities took the death toll to 9,891.
The cumulative count in the state now stood at 7,00,786 comprising 5,69,947 discharges including 8,337 today. Active cases stood at 1,20,929 including 892 in the ICU.
There were as many as 1,12,770 tests done on Saturday including 48,403 Rapid Antigen Detection Tests taking the total tests done so far to 58.52 lakh, the health department said.
Bengaluru led the spike in cases with 4,563 fresh cases and 30 deaths.
Cumulatively, the city has reported 2,76,934 infections, 3,320 deaths, 2,08,702 discharges including 1,726 on Saturday and 64,911 active cases comprising 349 in ICU.
According to the health department bulletin, Belagavi district in North Karnataka bordering Maharashtra emerged as a second major contributor today with 515 fresh infections.
The department said 465 cases were reported in Mysuru, 455 in Hassan, 447 in Chitradurga, 374 in Tumakuru, 345 in Davangere, 316 in Dakshina Kannada, 259 in Shivamogga, 248 in Mandya, 241 in Chikkamagaluru, 237 in Udupi, 225 in Ballari, 224 in Bengaluru Rural and 216 in Kodagu.
Cases were also reported, in Bagalkote, Bidar, Chamarajanagar, Chikkaballapura, Dharwad, Gadag, Haveri, Kalaburagi, Kolar, Koppal, Raichur, Ramanagara, Uttara Kannada, Vijayapura and Yadgir districts. In terms of fatalities, Mysuru stood next to Bengaluru with 13 deaths.
Seven deaths were reported in Koppal, six in Hassan, four each in Haveri, Kalaburagi and Dakshina Kannada, three each in Ballari, Chamarajanagara, Chitradurga, Dharwad and Kolar.
The bulletin said five deaths occurred in Koppal, four each in Shivamogga and Kodagu, three each in Ballari, Hassan and Tumakuru and two each in Mandya, Kalaburagi and Dakshina Kannada.
One fatality each was reported in Bagalkote, Chamarajanagara, Dharwad, Haveri and Vijayapura.
While a majority of those who died of coronavirus were above 50 years, there were people in their thirties and forties too who succumbed to the infection.
Most of those who died of coronavirus had Severe Acute Respiratory Illness, or Influenza Like Illness.
The health department said as of Saturday over 1.22 lakh people were home quarantined in the last one week whereas in the past 14 days, 5.44 lakh primary contacts and 3.38 lakh secondary contacts were traced.
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Consumers feeling the heat of rising tender coconut prices in Karnataka
Bengaluru: The cost of tender coconuts has skyrocketed in Karnataka, with retail prices now ranging between Rs 50 and Rs 60 per coconut. In parts of North India, prices have even touched Rs 80 to Rs 100. This price hike is reportedly attributed to a combination of extreme temperatures in Northern India and lower yields in Karnataka, which has been facing its own heatwave.
Maddur, the largest market for tender coconuts in India, has seen average wholesale prices fluctuating between Rs 38 and Rs 50 per coconut over the past three months. Retail prices are higher and depend upon distance from key markets such as Davangere, Tumakuru, Mandya, Hassan, and others as reported by Deccan Herald on Saturday.
During June and July of this year, tender coconuts were available for around Rs 35 in Karnataka, the country's leading coconut producer. However, prices have spiked due to a variety of factors. According to the state government's online agriculture marketing information website, Krishi Marata Vahini, wholesale prices have risen by at least Rs 10,000 per 1,000 coconuts compared to last year.
V. Rajannab, Deputy Director of the Tumakuru APMC Yard, attributed the supply disruption to the "heatwave conditions of the summer of 2024," explaining that farmers could harvest only 30% to 40% of their expected yield. He told the news outlet that the increased demand from North Indian states has further driven up prices in the local market. Nearly 60% of Karnataka's tender coconuts are shipped to North India, with states like Jammu and Kashmir and Gujarat now seeking supplies, he added.
Officials from the horticulture department have suggested that the high price of ball copra could also have impacted the supply of tender coconut. “The price of ball copra has more than doubled in the last three months, going from Rs 8,000 to Rs 18,000 a tonne. There is a general feeling that the price could go further high, which is why most of the farmers are not harvesting tender coconuts,” Horticulture Deputy Director Kadiregowda was quoted as saying by DH.
However, there is some hope for price relief in the near future. With copious rains this monsoon, the yield is anticipated to improve, which could further help stabilise the market and bring prices down in the coming weeks.
