District reports a total of 548 cases with Virajpet taluk recording 227, Somwarpet 194 and Madikeri taluk 127 cases

Madikeri: The Green-rich Kodagu has been rattled by the sudden and rapid surge of second wave of the COVID-19 virus, with the district reporting as many as 548 positive cases on a single day on Saturday.

Kodagu is witnessing a steady increase in the number of cases for the past few days, which has caused concern among the people and the authorities alike. At present, the district has 1,506 active cases and the Health Department expects a further increase in this number. Nine people have lost their lives to the deadly pandemic in the last one week, thus pushing up the cumulative number of those dead from the disease to 91, since the outbreak last year.

A 71-year-old man from Kunjila village died of the virus at the District COVID-19 Hospital at Madikeri in the wee hours of Saturday. His last rites were conducted at his native village by Hindu activists who wore PPE kits to carry out the job.

With the second wave of the virus causing widespread havoc, the Fire and Emergency Services Department had sanitised  and fumigated all public places at Madikeri, including the CMC building, Bus Stand and Market.

As nine members of a single family tested positive for the virus at Guddehosur, the Gram Panchayat sanitised the entire village, including the village bus shelter, shops and other commercial establishments.

As a precautionary and safety measure to stem the rising COVID cases, the district administration has cancelled all fairs and shandies that were scheduled to take place at Suntikoppa, Somwarpet and other places in Kodagu .

Meanwhile, Kedamullur in Virajpet taluk reported 30 fresh positive cases on Saturday following which all the roads connecting Kedamullur from different parts of the district were closed. Also, the cluster containing 34 houses has been declared as a Containment Zone. The residents  have been directed not to move out of the village. Health Department officials are taking care of the infected persons.

As at 8 am on Saturday, the district reported a total of 548 cases, with Virajpet taluk recording the highest with 227 cases, followed by Somwarpet taluk with 194 cases and Madikeri taluk with 127 cases. Out of the 548 cases, 526 cases were confirmed through RT-PCR test and the rest 22 by RAT test, according to the district authorities.

So far, Kodagu has cumulatively recorded 8,200  cases, out of which 6,603 have recovered, while 1,506 are still undergoing treatment.