Karnataka to acquire precautionary vaccine doses for senior citizens, comorbid patients
Karnataka government plans to procure 30,000 precautionary doses of Covid 19 vaccine for senior citizens and immunocompromised people in light of the rise in cases across the state, the newly created cabinet sub-committee announced on Tuesday.
Karnataka will also have a daily testing target of 5000, making it the second highest testing state after Kerala, the committee added. While there are no restrictions on New Year celebrations and gatherings, there is a general advisory to wear masks at crowded places and observe Covid appropriate behaviour.
There will also be no screening at state borders, said the sub-committee.
The state logged 74 fresh cases on Tuesday, bringing its total tally of active cases up to 464. The total positivity rate is 1.15%.
Last week, the state government had made it mandatory for citizens older than 60 years and people with comorbidities to wear masks following the emergence of the JN.1 Covid subvariant in neighbouring Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The government had also upped Covid testing, directing the district health officials to ensure all the severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) cases and at least one in 20 influenza-like illness (ILI) cases were tested for Covid.
The JN.1 sub-variant, which stems from the Omicron sub-variant, was first detected in Luxembourg.
