Two COVID-19 deaths, 37 new cases in Karnataka-- 22 from Davangere alone

In a sudden spurt of COVID-19 cases in green zone district of Davangere, 22 out of 37 new cases in Karnataka were reported from region Monday, taking tally to 651 in state on a day when two deaths due to coronavirus infection were recorded and government eased lockdown restrictions in n-containment zones.

As on Monday, state has more recovered cases than active cases. With two COVID-19 deaths, death toll has gone up to 27.

Meanwhile, Department of Finance has issued an order to cover all anganwi workers/helpers, police officers/staff, home guards, civil defense force, fire brige staffs/officers, jail staff, municipal/sanitation workers , related vehicle drivers/loers under Prhana Manthri Gareeb Kalyan Yojana.

This will make m eligible for Rs 30 lakh relief, if y are involved and died due to COVID-19 infection, department said.

"When we segregate 37 new cases, 22 cases have comefrom Davangere alone. When we analyse spurt in cases from district, except one patient with history of influenza Like Illness (ILI), remaining 21 cases are traced to two persons (patients)," Minister S Suresh Kumar, who is spokesperson for COVID-19 in Karnataka, told reporters.

Nineteen of se 22 cases from Davangere are contacts of a patient, who is a nurse, he said, ding that she has 25 primary contacts and 127 secondary contacts (mostly relatives).

A total of 1,147 samples have been tested in Davangere, out of which 847 are negative, 31 are positive, and results of 269 are awaited.

He said 61 people are in isolation in district, while 124 people under institutional quarantine. Meanwhile to help people, including large number of labourers from Karnataka stranded within state due to COVID-19 lockdown, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa today said free bus services for m to reach ir native places, will be extended for two days (till Thursday).

Chief Minister h on Sunday said, free bus services will be available for three days till Tuesday, and expenses will be borne by government.

On or hand life was limping back to rmalcy in most parts of Karnataka with easing of COVID-19-induced restrictions on Monday as state heed into third phase of lockdown.

Among two persons who died of coronavirus infection in state on Monday, one of m --a 48-year-old woman from Davangere ---was secondary contact of nurse, who is source of spurt in number of cases in district, Kumar said.

deceased woman got mitted on May 1 and was diagsed with SARI(severe acute respiratory illness), kwn case of hypertension, diabetes and hypothyroidism. She died at designated hospital.

or person who died is a 56-year-old man from Kalaburagi, a kwn case of SARI, and was mitted on April 29, with complaints of cough and fever.

According to a health department bulletin "As of 5:00 PM on May 4, cumulatively 651 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in state and it includes 27 deaths and 321 discharges.

Out of 302 active cases, 296 patients are in isolation at designated hospitals and are stable, while 6 are in ICU.

It said 28 patients who recovered were discharged today. remaining 15 new cases or than those from Davangere include, seven from Bidar, two each from Mandya and Kalaburagi, and one each from Chikkaballapura, Haveri, Bengaluru Urban and Vijayapura.

Ten of m are contact of patients alrey tested positive, three of m are with travel history to Mumbai and one to Hyderab, and or's contact history is being traced.

From across state most number of infections have been reported in Bengaluru urban with 150 cases, followed by Mysuru 88 and Belagavi 71. Out of total 321 patients discharged maximum 77 are from Mysuru, 75 from Bengaluru urban, twenty six from Belagavi.

A total of 79,193 samples were tested, out of which 4,295 were tested on Monday alone. So far 74,664 samples have reported negative, 3,666 alone on Monday.

government has issued order to all private medical colleges in Karnataka and ESIC Medical Colleges functioning at Bengaluru and Kalaburgi districts to establish RT-PCR Laboratories for diagsis of COVID-19.

In a bid to help people, including large number of labourers from Karnataka stranded within state due to COVID-19 lockdown, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Monday said free bus services for m to reach ir native places, will be extended for two days (till Thursday).

Chief Minister h on Sunday said, free bus services will be available for three days till Tuesday, and expenses will be borne by government.

On or hand life was limping back to rmalcy in most parts of Karnataka with easing of COVID-19-induced restrictions on Monday as state heed into third phase of lockdown.

With sale of liquor being allowed at designated shops after a gap of over 40 days, long queues were found in front of m.