Remdesivir hoarders will face stringent action, vows Karnataka Home Minister Bommai

Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday vowed to take strict action on those who are caught hoarding Remdesivir, a crucial drug in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. Various parts of India, including many areas in Karnataka, have reported the shortage of the life-saving drug as COVID-19 cases continue to spike at an unprecedented rate over the past week. Speaking to reporters during BJP's campaign for the upcoming by-polls, Karnataka Home Minister Bommai informed that he has received the assurance of Health Minister K Sudhakar on the uninterrupted supply of Remedisvir and that there was enough stock.

Further, he also warned of stringent action against those who indulged in the sale of the life-saving drug in the black market. HM Bommai also informed that he would be chairing a meeting with the state Police officials to discuss strategies to 'nab those who are trying to create fake scarcity of the drug'. Hospitals across Karnataka, especially in the capital Bengaluru, had reported a shortage of Remdesivir earlier this week. Meanwhile, Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa has called an emergency Cabinet meeting at 9.30 am on Friday to discuss the COVID situation in the state. 

Karnataka HM vows strict action against Remdesivir hoarders

“Based on my interaction with Health Minister K Sudhakar, I can safely maintain that there is no shortage of Remdesivir, but if anyone is trying to misuse this during a pandemic by black-marketing, then all those will be punished severely," said HM Basavaraj Bommai.

Karnataka sees single-biggest spike in COVID-19 cases

Karnataka has reported its sharpest single-day spike of 14,738 fresh coronavirus cases and 66 related fatalities, taking the total number of infections to 11.09 lakh and the toll to 13,112, the Health Department said on Thursday. The state had previously reported its biggest single day spike of 11,265 cases on Wednesday. Out of the 14,738 fresh cases reported on Thursday, 10,497 cases were from Bengaluru Urban alone.

The day also saw 3,591 patients getting discharged after recovery. As of April 15 evening, cumulatively 11,09,650 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 13,112 deaths and 9,99,958 discharges, the Health Department said in its bulletin. It said, out of 96,561 active cases, 96,006 patients are in isolation at designated hospitals and are stable, while 555 are in ICU.

Among 66 deaths reported on Thursday, 30 are from Bengaluru Urban, Ballari and Bengaluru Rural (6), Mysuru (5), Hassan (4), Dharwad (3), Bidar, Tumakuru and Uttara Kannada (2), and one each from Belagavi, Kalaburagi, Kolar, Ramanagara, Shivamogga and Vijayapura. Among the districts where the new cases were reported, Bengaluru Urban accounted for 10,497, Kalaburagi 624, Tumakuru 387, Bidar 363, Mysuru 327, Mandya 211, Ballari 200, followed by others. A total of over 2.31 crore samples have been tested so far, out of which 1,29,400 were tested on Thursday alone.