Karnataka may have up to 25,000 active cases by Aug 15: COVID War Room chief
Bengaluru: Active coronavirus cases in Karnataka may reach around 25,000 by August 15 if the state maintains the current compounded daily growth rate of 4 percent, a senior government official said on Monday while stressing the need to stick to social distancing and wearing masks to contain the spread of the virus.
The projections are so sensitive that if the daily growth rate is at 3 percent then active numbers can reach 17,000 but if it is at 4 percent then the state could see around 25,000 cases in about 50-60 days, Munish Moudgil, chief of Karnataka COVID-19 War Room, said in a statement.
The state currently has 9,150 cases of which 3,391 are active cases, 5,618 discharges, and 137 deaths.
The compounded daily growth rate as of Sunday (for the past five days) stood at four percent, according to official figures.
"I wish to state that expected active cases by August 15th are about 20,000-25,000," Moudgil.
He, however, underlined that it is extremely difficult to make accurate projections, particularly beyond 15-20 days because it depends on the behavior of individual citizens post unlocking the lockdown, as well as the action, was taken by the government.
Moudgil has recommended three action points for the administration which include tracing all contacts of every patient within 24 hours and effectively quarantining them.
His second suggestion is that every inter-state passenger should be effectively quarantined for 14 days and third is increased tests and also a quality which means selecting and testing vulnerable and infectious groups.
Highlighting the role of people in the fight against coronavirus, he said citizens can make a major difference by observing norms like masking up, washing hands, and other hygiene and social distancing.
"Positive part of this is that every successful effort to reduce the growth rate will exponentially reduce numbers.
Conversely, any slip up makes us pay heavily," he cautioned.
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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.
