With the unprecedented rise in the Covid 19 cases across the country, Karnataka seems to be facing another issue. While there is already a lockdown imposed across the state, there has been a sudden increase in the missing Covid patients reports as well.
Karnataka Revenue Minister Reports Missing Covid Patients
As per the latest reports, Karnataka Revenue Minister R. Ashoka revealed that 2000-3000 Covid positive patients are missing from the wards. Ashoka is also the Vice Chairman of the Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority and spoke to the media about the issue. He said that he has already informed and directed the police to trace and track the missing patients.
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Talking to the media, Ashoka admitted that at least 2000-3000 people in Bengaluru have gone off the radar. They have switched off their phones and left their homes. And currently, they don’t know where they are.
He further added that since most of the patients have switched off their phones, so the Health Department is not able to trace them and most of them are not even available on the given address. So it is construed that they are all missing. Furthermore, the missing patients can turn out to be “super-spreaders”.
Ashoka also said that they were providing the patients with free medicines which can control at least 90 percent of the cases in the state. At the same time, some of them reached the hospital and requested for an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) which has made the matters even more confusing.
Revenue Minister Requests Missing Patients To Switch On Phones
As the minister continued to speak to the media, he appealed to the missing patients and said that he requested them with folded hands to switch on their phones. He said that running away like this only worsens the situation and makes it difficult for the authorities to arrange for ICU beds.
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However, this isn’t the first time when Covid patients have gone missing in Karnataka. Health Minister K. Sudhakar said that Bengaluru faced the same issue ever since the pandemic broke out. Last year as well, he observed that at least 20 percent of the patients did not respond to their calls. Even though the police was able to track them down but some migrated to other states.
Furthermore, the Karnataka government recently learned that their contact tracing cell has been contacting only four people per Covid infected person. And the protocol has mandated to contact at least 20.
