In an alarming report submitted by the Karnataka government to the High Court, the government estimates that by the end of April the state might have a whopping 10,000 cases of the novel coronavirus. The state is currently at 197 cases.
Karnataka High Court had earlier asked the government to submit a report about the ongoing COVID-19 crisis in the state and its preparations for the same. The report has been prepared by the COVID-19 Task Force set up by the government that is headed by Dr. Devi Shetty.
10,000 cases by April End
According to the report, the Karnataka government estimates ten thousand cases of COVID-19 by the end of April. The basis for the estimation is the study of the situation in countries like Italy and China. If the state follows the trajectory of infections like that of those countries, it is likely to end up at 10,000 confirmed cases by the 30th of April. The estimation is shocking considering the state has only 197 cases as of now and the country is at 6,800.
After reading the report, the High Court pointed out the unpreparedness of the government if the estimation comes true. In that case, the state will be short of masks, personal protective equipment, and hospital beds. The state had ordered masks before but has only received a small chunk of the order. The High Court suggested the government to increase the manufacturing of masks and PPEs. The court suggested making use of the huge garment facility the state has to produce the equipment locally. The state has considered the suggestions. The state currently is manufacturing 50,000 liters of sanitizers every day and is looking to enhance it.
By the estimation of the government, it is very unlikely that the lockdown will be lifted. It also means that the government might enhance testing. According to the task force, the state is to receive rapid test kits on April 12 which will help the state to test more. The state has currently tested around 7000 samples. There are 161 active cases in the state with 30 people recovering successfully and 6 unfortunate deaths.
