Davanagere tally spirals to 67 as six more test +ve for Covid-19

Davanagere: The upward spiral of Covid-19 cases in Davanagere is proving hard to arrest, with six more individuals testing positive on Saturday and taking the district’s tally to 67. Of the six people who tested positive for the infection, five have been found to have contracted it from the 48-year-old woman, who succumbed to Covid-19 on May 3.
Davanagere deputy commissioner Mahantesh Bilagi said that the staff nurse, from whom the infection transmitted to 37 others, who worked at a primary health centre in Bhashanagar, was likely to have contracted the infection from a patient she must have attended to.“But we have been unable to trace this individual, who is likely to be roaming somewhere in the district,” Bilagi said.
Meanwhile, three more tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Chitradurga, and the total number of cases in Davanagere’s neighbouring district now stands at six. All the six Chitradurga residents who have been confirmed infected are Tablighis who returned home from Ahmedabad in Gujarat.
Police station shifted
On the other, the Azad Nagar police station, which was located in a containment zone, has been shifted to another locality, which falls under the purview of RMC police station. Davanagere superintendent of police Hanumantharaya said that as many as 57 residents who have been confirmed infected with Covid-19 lived in Old Davanagere, within which fell Azad Nagar as well. “Cops working at the Azad Nagar, Basavanagara and Gandhinagar stations are in risk of contracting the infection. We have advised personnel at these stations to undergo medical examination every day as a preventive measure,” he said.
New laboratory inaugurated
On the other hand, Davanagere South MLA Shamanur Shivashankarappa on Saturday inaugurated a laboratory equipped to test samples for Covid-19. The laboratory is associated with the SS Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Institute, of which Shivashankarappa’s son SS Mallikarjun is the chairman. Davanagere district in-charge minister BA Basavaraj, MP GM Siddeshwar and medical education minister K Sudhakar were among who were in attendance at the inaugural ceremony. “sWe want to open at least 60 laboratories across the state,” Sudhakar said.