Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Two women, including a doctor from AIIMS Rishikesh, have tested positive for Covid-19 in Uttarakhand, prompting the state health department to issue a high alert. According to officials, both individuals recently travelled to Uttarakhand from other states.
Dr Sunita Tamta, Director General of Health, Uttarakhand, confirmed that a 57-year-old woman from Gujarat who had come to Rishikesh for religious purposes exhibited symptoms of coronavirus. After testing, she was confirmed positive and is currently under treatment. The second patient is a doctor from Bengaluru who has also tested positive and is receiving treatment at home, said Tamta. She added that, as of May 22, a total of 277 COVID-19 cases have been reported across India, primarily from Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Kerala.
While there are currently no active local cases in Uttarakhand, the state is intensifying preventive measures in line with central Government guidelines.
“All Chief Medical Officers across the state have been instructed to increase Covid testing and sampling. If any new case is detected, genome sequencing should be conducted to identify the variant,” Dr. Tamta stated. She also emphasised that oxygen plants and hospital beds are being kept operational as a precaution.
Following the two positive cases, the health department is focusing on aggressive sampling and monitoring of incoming travellers from other states.
Meanwhile, Karnataka has also seen a slight uptick in COVID-19 cases, especially in Bengaluru. State Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on May 24 confirmed that 35 cases have been reported in Karnataka this year, with 32 of them from Bengaluru. “A gradual increase in Covid-19 spread has been observed in Bengaluru over the past 20 days, though the situation remains under control,” he said.
