According to a  Hindustan Times report, as many as 84% or 114 of the 135 new coronavirus cases reported in the past 24 hours in Karnataka were of Maharashtra returnees, even as the state’s tally rose to 2,418, an official said on Wednesday.“New cases reported from Tuesday 5 p.m. to Wednesday 5 pm, 135,” said a health official to HT.

The total cases with domestic travel history were 123 of the 135 cases. Covid-19 cases spiked in Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada, Yadgir, Bidar, Raichur, Bengaluru Urban, Davangere, Kalaburagi, Hasssan, Belagavi and Udupi.Of the total cases, 1,588 are active, while 781 patients have been discharged.

Fourteen patients are currently admitted in ICU. In the past 24 hours, 17 patients were discharged, including four in Shivamogga, three in Bidar, two each in Bengaluru Urban, Davangere and Kalaburagi, and one each in Chikkamagaluru, Haveri, Dharwad, and Ballari. A majority of the new infections are now occurring in younger people. Of the new cases, 82 were men and 53 women, including 16 patients below the age of 10.

On Wednesday, three patients succumbed to Covid. A 69-year-old woman from Yadgir district succumbed to the virus.

The Maharashtra returnee was brought dead to a designated hospital at Yadir on May 20 and had tested corona positive now, an official said. This was Karnataka’s 45th Covid death and Yadgir’s first.

Similarly, a 49-year-old man from Bidar died of the virus, the state’s 46th Covid death, and Bidar's third.“Positive case 1,712adiagnosed with Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) admitted in the designated hospital, Bidar with complaints of fever, cough, and breathlessness died on Wednesday,” said the official.

According to the state, there are 122 new Covid cases, 14 discharges & one death till 12pm yesterday; new cases are from Kalburgi 28, Yadagiri 16, Hassan 15, Bidar 12, Dakshin Kannada 11, Udupi 9, Uttara Kannada 6, Raichur 5, Belagavi 4, Chikkamagalur 3, Vijayapura 2 and one each in Mandya, Tumkur, and Bellari. Total positive cases in the State rise to 2405. Active cases: 1596, Recovered: 762, Deaths: 45.

Meanwhile, Karnataka government will soon launch a project to maintain the health database of all its citizens. A first of its kind initiative State Health Register will be a robust and standardized health repository of all the citizens. Medical Education Minister Dr. K Sudhakar said that this project will be implemented first in Chikkaballapur district on an experimental basis.

Enhanced focus on healthcare has become imperative and our government is committed to providing world-class healthcare to all citizens, he said. Dr. Sudhakar said that the Covid-19 experience has demonstrated the necessity of having robust, real-time public health data and therefore, there is a need to maintain a repository of health data of each and every citizen. He said that the Government will be undertaking a survey of all 6.5 Crore people in the state using a team of Primary Health Centre officials, revenue officials, Education department staff, and ASHA karyakartas. They will visit each household and collect health data of all the members of the family. This will not only help the government to provide better health care, but will also help efficient resource allocation, management, and better implementation of various citizen-centric schemes in the state, the Minister added.

With Inputs from Hindustan Times