RT-PCR compulsory for Kerala, Maharashtra passengers

Bengaluru: Two citizens of South Africa who arrived in Bengaluru tested positive for covid-19 sparking concerns over the new omicron variant detected in the same country before a genome sequencing test found that they had the Delta strain. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai called a high-level meeting on Saturday and informed authorities to intensify screening of international passengers at the airports and make the RT-PCR test report compulsory for those arriving from Kerala and Maharashtra.RT-PCR tests have once again been made compulsory for students from Kerala who arrived in the last 16 days.

Students staying in hostels, who have got a negative RT-PCR test report, would have to get the tests done again on the 7th day after the first report. Karnataka reported 322 fresh Covid-19 cases and three deaths on Saturday, taking the total number of infections to 29,95,285 and the toll to 38,196. Bengaluru Urban continued to head the list of cases (149), as the city saw 105 discharges and no deaths.

The total number of active cases is now 6,754. While the positivity rate for the day stood at 0.34 percent, the Case Fatality Rate (CFR) was 0.93 percent. As many as 99 people have tested positive for Covid-19 at Dharwad’s SDM College of Medical Sciences on Friday, according to reports. This takes the total number of cases in the college to 281. Out of the 281 cases, only 6 patients are symptomatic, according to District Collector Nitish Patil. Patil said all cases were “breakthrough infections”, meaning the patients had received both doses of a vaccine. At the same time, 33 students below the age of 18 and a staffer have tested positive at a private boarding school in Dommasandra in Whitefield.

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