Health Minister B. Sriramulu has said that steps are being taken to set up a virology laboratory in Gadag district to help quick testing of samples for SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Addressing a press conference at the Zilla Panchayat auditorium in Gadag on Wednesday, the Health Minister said that while the State and Union governments were doing their best to contain the epidemic, he would appeal to private clinics and nursing homes to offer health services to the general public during this time of a health crisis.
He said that he had toured 21 districts of the State and had reviewed the status of work to prevent the spread of the pandemic. Information and suggestions were being procured from the district administration, Health Department, doctors and elected representatives so as to further strengthen the fight against the pandemic, he said.
Commending the selfless service offered by the Corona soldiers namely doctors, nurses and Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs), Mr. Sriramulu said that apart from taking measures to contain the spread of COVID-19, both the State and Union governments were trying to further boost the morale of the Corona soldiers.
In Gadag district, he said, an isolation ward had been set up where 451 persons were under observation. Of these, 132 persons had completed the quarantine period of 28 days. As many as 303 persons were home quarantined and so far, 202 samples have tested negative for the infection.
Mr. Sriramulu said that after the death of an 82-year-old woman who had tested positive for the infection, a total of 82 samples of those who had come in contact with her had been sent for testing and all of them had tested negative.
Deputy Commissioner of Gadag M.G. Hiremath said that two localities where positive cases were reported had been declared as containment area. In the wake of the restrictions, steps had been taken to distribute foodgrains to 82 % of the families under the Public Distribution System.
Subsequently, Mr. Sriramulu, along with MLA Ramanna Lamani, MLC S.V. Sankanur and others, visited the district hospital.
