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Karnataka has made the COVID test mandatory for those with Influenza Like Illness (ILI) or Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI), said State Health Minister Dinesh Gundu on Friday, adding that a helpline will be launched tomorrow.
After a meeting with health department officials here, the minister said, “More than 7,000 tests are being done every day and the COVID positivity rate is 3.82 per cent. The positivity rate in the state has not come down yet.”
The minister asked officials to keep a close watch on those who are coronavirus-positive and compulsorily carry out the COVID-19 screening among those adults showing symptoms of ILI and SARI.
Earlier, only one in 20 of these cases were subjected to Covid testing but henceforth private and government hospitals have been instructed to conduct on all ILI/SARI patients.
Rao said those with symptoms are being monitored and tested, and people who are in isolation at home have been told to take extra care.
“It is expected that the trend of decreasing Covid cases may start next week in Karnataka. Technical Advisory Committee met yesterday (Thursday) and gave some guidance. I have instructed the authorities to adopt them (the guidelines),” he added.
Meanwhile, official sources informed that the number of cases of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 reported from 12 states till January 4 rose to 619. Of these, 199 have been reported from Karnataka.
Even though the number of cases is rising and the JN.1 sub-variant has been detected in the country, there is no cause of immediate concern as the majority of those infected are opting for home-based treatment, indicating mild illness, officials said.
The Centre has already asked states and Union territories to maintain a constant vigil amid an uptick in the number of COVID cases and the detection of the JN.1 sub-variant in the country.
States have been told to ensure effective compliance with the detailed operational guidelines for the revised surveillance strategy for COVID-19 shared by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
The WHO has classified JN.1 as a separate “variant of interest” given its rapidly increasing spread but said it poses a “low” global public health risk.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Published: 05 Jan 2024, 07:31 PM IST
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