Amid Covid Surge, Karnataka Govt Tells Elderly, Co-Morbid to Mask Up | Detailed Advisory HERE

With the rise in Covid cases in Kerala and the detection of new variant JN.1, the Karnataka government has issued an advisory, asking all elderly (60 years and above), co-morbid (particularly with kidney, heart, liver ailments, etc.), pregnant women and lactating mothers to wear face masks when outdoor, and strictly avoid visiting closed, poorly ventilated spaces and crowded areas.

The advisory says that those with respiratory symptoms such as fever, cough, cold, running nose should seek medical consultation. They should wear face masks (covering nose and mouth) and avoid visiting closed, poorly ventilated spaces and crowded areas.

The government has urged people to maintain good personal hygiene, including frequent hand washing. “When unwell, stay at home, and minimize contact with other people, especially seniors and those who are vulnerable. At crowded places, particularly, if not well-ventilated, wearing a mask is advised. When travelling overseas, stay vigilant and adopt relevant travel precautions, such as wearing mask at the airport and inside aircraft and avoiding crowded areas with poor ventilation," reads the advisory.

OTHER INSTRUCTIONS ON DEALING WITH COVID

• No need to panic or immediately ramp up the cross-border (i.e. Kerala and Tamil Nadu states) surveillance by imposing restrictions
• All bordering districts of the State to Kerala and Tamil Nadu to be vigilant and ensure adequate testing and timely reporting of Covid cases
• Testing of all SARI cases and at least 1 in 20 IU cases for Covid-19 at all private, government, tertiary centers, including those in medical colleges, should be taken up.

WHOLE GENOME SEQUENCING (WGS) TO BE DONE IN CASE OF

• Symptomatics with international travel history (irrespective of CT value)
• Representative samples from clusters / focal outbreaks with 5/6 severe morbidity and / or mortality (seriously sick, hospitalised patients, SARI cases and prolonged hospital admissions).

The District Surveillance Officers shall coordinate and send positive samples (both government and private) of Covid-19 with CT value less than 25 (not applicable for international travelers) to BMCRI, Bengaluru.

All districts shall hold drill across all health facilities (both public and private) in the third or fourth week of December 2023 as per the guidelines. The objective of the drill is to ensure operational readiness of all healthcare facilities to handle any possible surge.