Karnataka CM apprises PM Modi about measures taken to control COVID-19

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Wednesday briefed Prime Minister Narendra Mondi about the measures undertaken by the state government to control the pandemic.

Taking part in the video conference meeting of Prime Minister with Chief Ministers of seven states to review the response to COVID-19, he said that testing facilities have been ramped up substantially in the state.

"Now we have 136 testing laboratories and the testing has been increased to about 70,000 samples per day. So far more than 43 lakh samples have been tested," he said.

He also informed that all the symptomatic positive patients have been shifted to hospitals immediately after knowing the results.

"For this purpose, the number of ambulances has been increased from 800 to 2000," he said.

The Chief Minister said that the state government has set a target to identify all the contacts of positive cases within 24 hours to 48 hours and quarantine them.

"The state has witnessed the highest fatality rate of 2.6 per cent between July 13 and July 19, 2020. Thereafter, the fatality is coming down steadily. Presently, Karnataka's case death rate stands at 1.54 per cent, whereas, in the last one week, the death rate was only 1.3 per cent. Fatality rate will be brought down to less than 1 per cent as per the goal set by the Prime Minister, soon," he said, according to an official release.

The central government suggested strict enforcement in containment zones.

( With inputs from ANI )