This story is from March 27, 2021

Covid-19: Mandya district on edge as infections rise

A 35-year-old man died of Covid-19 in H Malligere village of Mandya taluk on Friday, setting alarm bells ringing even as the number of fresh cases continued to rapidly rise in the district.
Covid-19: Mandya district on edge as infections rise
Representative image
MANDYA: A 35-year-old man died of Covid-19 in H Malligere village of Mandya taluk on Friday, setting alarm bells ringing even as the number of fresh cases continued to rapidly rise in the district.
Last year, infections in Mandya rose largely due to an influx of returnees from Mumbai and elsewhere. Now, however, the infections appear to be local. The 35-year-old’s demise took total fatalities in the district to 153.
A technical staffer in a private engineering college was among 43 who tested positive on Friday, sending health and family welfare officials into a tizzy.
Students and staff of the college have now been subjected to random Covid-19 tests.
A senior health official said the infection rate is rising at “alarming levels” and there is the fear the situation could get worse. He said the pace of vaccinations too is slow. “We are facing a shortage of vaccine doses,” he said. “We may not be able to inoculate enough people to prevent a second wave of infections in the district.”
Although the state government has categorically ruled out any sort of lockdown, another official said imposition of a “mild lockdown” and a ban on all social gatherings including weddings and religious festivities could help slow the rate of infection. He said it will also give the department time to inoculate a considerable number of people.
“The government must take immediate measures to prevent infections through any means, even if that means imposing a lockdown,” the official said.
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