COVID-19: Recoveries continue to outnumber fresh infections in Karnataka
Bengaluru, May 19: The number of recoveries continued to outnumber fresh COVID-19 cases in Karnataka, as the state on Wednesday reported 49,953 discharges, 34,281 new cases and 468 fatalities, the Health Department said.
While the total number of infections stood at 23,06,655, the toll was 23,306.
The state on Tuesday had reported a record 58,395 recoveries and 30,309 fresh cases.
Bengaluru Urban registered 11,772 fresh cases today.
The city saw 29,238 discharges.
As of May 19 evening, cumulatively 23,06,655 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 23,306 deaths and 17,24,438 discharges, the Health department said in its bulletin.
Total number of active cases in the state stood at 5,58,890.
While the positivity rate for the day stood at 26.46 per cent, case fatality rate (CFR) was at 1.36 per cent.
Health Minister K Sudhakar said the positivity rate in the state was decreasing and described it as a good sign, as he ruled out any co-relation between decline in the number of testing and positivity rate coming down.
"Despite doing symptomatic tests if the positivity rate is decreasing, it is a good sign," he told reporters.
Conceding that testing has come down, in response to a question, he said "It is not intentional, there were some technical issues, it is being set right."
Concerns have been expressed from various quarters including opposition leaders in the last few days that the testing has come down.
A total of over 2,81,99,718 samples have been tested so far, of which 1,29,538 were tested on Wednesday alone.
Among 468 deaths reported on Wednesday, 218 are from Bengaluru Urban, Ballari (23), Shivamogga and Tumakuru (19), Kalaburagi (18), Koppal, Mysuru and Uttara Kannada (14), Haveri and Belagavi (11), followed by others.
Tumakuru reported 2,427 new cases today, Belagavi 2,234, Mysuru 1,730, Hassan 1,428, Ballari 1,297, Chikkamagaluru 1,047, followed by others.
Bengaluru Urban district tops the list of positive cases, with a total of 10,84,844, followed by Mysuru 1,17,753 and Tumakuru 87,383.
Among discharges too, Bengaluru Urban tops the list with 7,22,086, followed by Mysuru 1,00,645 and Tumakuru 57,684.
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Sculptor Ram Sutar, designer of Statue of Unity, passes away
New Delhi (PTI): Noted sculptor Ram Sutar, known for designing the world's tallest statue — Statue of Unity — in Gujarat, passed away late on Wednesday night at his Noida residence, his son said.
He was 100 and ailing with age-related illnesses.
"It is with profound grief that we inform you of the passing of my father Shri Ram Vanji Sutar on 17th December midnight at our residence," his son Anil Sutar said in a note shared with the press on Thursday.
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Born in a humble family in Gondur village under the Dhule district of present-day Maharashtra on February 19, 1925, Sutar is known to have been drawn to sculpting from his childhood.
A gold medallist from JJ School of Art and Architecture, Mumbai, Sutar, has to his credit a long list of achievements.
The iconic statues of Mahatma Gandhi seated in a meditating pose and of Chhatrapati Shivaji riding a horse on the Parliament premises rank among his finest creations.
The Statue of Unity honours Sardar Patel, country's first deputy prime minister and home minister.
Sutar was honoured with the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 2016.
Recently, Sutar was conferred with the Maharashtra Bhushan Puraskar, the state's highest award.
