Madikeri: With the district reeling under a surge in COVID positive cases for the past few days, Kodagu District Health Officer (DHO) Dr. Mohan Kumar has asked the people to be alert and cautious atleast for the next 15 days.

Speaking to presspersons here on Sunday, Dr. Mohan said that Kodagu district has 6.5 lakh population. 

Following the second wave of attack of the deadly virus, those who had settled down in Bengaluru, which has become a COVID hotspot, are returning to their villages in Kodagu, which has resulted in the sudden spike of cases in the district. Expressing concern that the district may see a further rise in cases in the coming days, the DHO reiterated that the people of Kodagu should be alert and take necessary precautionary and safety measures, atleast for a fortnight.

Noting that the District is facing a shortage of Specialist doctors, Dr. Mohan said that there is a dearth of doctors at the District COVID Hospital too.

Bemoaning that people are hesitant to visit hospitals even after showing symptoms for the deadly disease, he said that this tendency of the people has been the cause for a high positivity rate in the district. Highlighting the importance of early testing and treatment, he warned that Kodagu may face a bigger crisis in the coming days if people do not get alert and take necessary precautionary measures.

Meanwhile, the total number of deaths  so far in the district due to COVID-19 has risen to 120 and eight deaths have been reported in last 24 hours ending at 8 am on May 2. 

Kodagu district on Sunday reported 532 new positive cases including 221 in Madikeri taluk alone, 141 in Somwarpet  taluk and 170 in Virajpet taluk. Out of the 532 cases, 499 were detected through RT-PCR test, while the rest 33 cases through RAT test.

The cumulative number of persons who have tested positive for the virus in the district has reached 11,872, out of which 7,712 affected persons have recovered and 293 persons have been discharged from the Hospital in the last 24 hours. As on Sunday, the district had 4,042 active cases and 459 containment zones have been marked.