Karnataka reports 3,652 fresh infections & 24 deaths, enhances tests
Bengaluru: With 3,652 fresh coronavirus cases and 24 deaths on Sunday, Karnataka's COVID-19 tally and cumulative fatalities reached 8,27,064 and 11,192 respectively the health department said.
As the state continued to show a steady decline in cases and mortalities, health minister Dr. K Sudhakar appealed to the people to abide by the COVID protocols.
"With 8,053 recoveries and 3,652 new cases, Karnataka witnessed more recoveries than new cases for the 18th consecutive day.
Let us continue our fight against COVID-19 by wearing masks, ensuring hand hygiene, and maintaining physical distance," Sudhakar tweeted.
The state had reported an alarming trend of over 10,500 infections and over 200 fatalities a day for almost a week barely a month ago.
A total of 8,053 people were discharged on Sunday, taking the aggregate recoveries to 7,65,261 and active cases stood at 50,592, including 935 in Intensive Care Units of various hospitals, a bulletin said.
Bengaluru Urban district contributed most of the fresh infections with 2,167 cases and reported 10 mortalities
Cumulatively, the city has reported 3,38,636 infections, 3,874 deaths, 3,04,163 discharges including 6,018 on Sunday and 30,598 active cases.
Most of those who died of coronavirus on Sunday were aged above 50.
Among the deceased were two men were in their forties and a 29-year-old man.
As many as 1,06,773 tests were done on Sunday, with 86,378 using the RT PCR, taking the total number of specimens examined so far to 80.12 lakh, the department added.
The health department also stated that it has increased the testings extensively from 2,309 in March to 27.03 lakh in October.
It said COVID-19 cases were on the decline since September.
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Legal heirs can claim reimbursement if govt employee dies during treatment: Allahabad HC
Lucknow (PTI): The Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court on Saturday said that if a government employee or pensioner dies during treatment or becomes incapable of making a claim, his legal heirs can also claim reimbursement of medical expenses.
The bench of Justice Alok Mathur and Justice Amitabh Kumar Rai passed the verdict on the petition of Chandra Choor Singh.
The petitioner's father was a retired deputy registrar. He was treated at private hospitals in Lucknow, where he passed away during treatment. The petitioner applied for reimbursement of medical expenses, but the department rejected the claim, stating that only the "beneficiary" can make a claim under the rules.
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The state government argued that under the Uttar Pradesh Government Servants (Medical Attendance) Rules, 2011, a claim can only be made by a beneficiary, and the petitioner did not fall within this category. It also cited the limit of Rs 5,000 set out in the succession certificate submitted by the petitioner.
The court rejected this argument of the state government, stating that the provisions of Rule 16 of the Rules, 2011, were arbitrary and violated Article 14 of the Constitution. The court held that if a beneficiary dies or becomes incapable of making a claim, his or her legal heirs cannot be deprived of this right.
Applying the principle of "reading down", the Court directed that Rule 16 be interpreted to include legal heirs, especially when there is no other eligible beneficiary.
The court also clarified that if there is no dispute about being an heir, it is not appropriate to reject the claim merely on technical grounds.
Ultimately, the court directed the concerned authority to reconsider the petitioner's claim and take a decision within two months, and if the claim is found to be correct, payment should be ensured within one month.
