COVID-19 death toll breaches 2K mark in Karnataka; Record single-day spike of 5,536 new cases
Bengaluru: The COVID-19 death toll in Karnataka breached the 2,000-mark on Tuesday while the state reported its biggest single-day spike of 5,536 new cases, taking the total infection count to 1,07,001.
The day also saw a record 2,819 patients getting discharged after recovery, the health department said.
As many as 102 people succumbed to the disease, taking the toll to 2,055.
Of the fresh cases, marginally higher than the previous biggest daily spike of 5,324 on Monday, a total of 1,898 cases were from Bengaluru Urban district.
This is the fifth consecutive day that the state is reporting over 5,000 fresh cases.
As of Tuesday evening, cumulatively 1,07,001 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 2,055 deaths and 40,504 discharges, the health department said in a bulletin.
It said 63,822 patients had been admitted to isolation wards at designated hospitals, while 612 were in intensive care units (ICUs).
The mortality rate in the state stands at 1.92 percent, while the recovery rate is at 37.85 percent.
As many as 40 out of 102 deaths reported on Tuesday were from Bengaluru Urban while Mysuru (8), Udupi (7), and Kalaburagi, Belagavi, and Dharwad (six each) accounted for higher fatalities.
Most of the victims had a history of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) or Influenza-like illness (ILI).
After Bengaluru Urban, Ballari reported a high number of cases at 452 followed by Kalaburagi 283, Belagavi 228, Mysuru 220, Tumakuru 207.
Bengaluru Urban district tops the list of positive cases, with a total of 48,821 infections, followed by Ballari 5,382 and Dakshina Kannada 5,098.
On a positive side, Bengaluru Urban also tops the list of the number of recoveries with a total of 12,761 discharges, followed by Dakshina Kannada 2,338 and Kalabuagi 2,310.
A total of 12,42,771 samples had been tested so far and of this 37,720, including over 16,340 rapid antigen tests, were done on Tuesday alone.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
