K’taka to shift Covid patients to dedicated centre in villages

Bengaluru, May 19 : With the pandemics second wave entering the hinterland, the Karnataka government has decided to shift those infected with the virus in rural areas but not having home isolation facility to Covid Care Centres being set up in villages, state Health Minister K.Sudhakar said on Wednesday.

"Infected persons without a separate room and attached toilet will be moved to CCCs set up in their villages across the state as home isolation is not possible for them," he told reporters after a review meeting here.

The state Health Department has set up local task forces in villages to help asymptomatic patients shift into CCCs.Assuring vaccination for all by November, the minister said the Pune-based Serum Institute of India had supplied an additional 9.5 lakh doses of Covishield vaccines to the state."We have placed an order with Serum to procure 2 crore doses of Covishield and 1 crore doses of Covaxin from the Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech to vaccinate free adults in the 18-44 years age group," he said.The Health Department has been giving both to citizens above 45 years of age with over 1.11 crore vaccines supplied by the Centre to the state so far."The Centre has also supplied 1,050 vials of drug so far to the state for treating black fungus contracted by some Covid patients after treatment," Sudhakar said.