K’taka maps vulnerable groups

nNEWDELHI/BENGALURU: Karnataka has become the first state to map its population that is most vulnerable to Covd-19, including the aged and those with comorbidities. These groups are currently being tracked on a daily basis with a view to prevent the onset of a severe Covid-19 infection.

Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the state’s strategy on Wednesday during a meeting of all CMS to assess the pandemic situation.

Of the 16.8 million households in the state, the government has already surveyed about 15 million households in the past three months. The survey identified the aged population as well as those with comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and cancer. These two groups are the most susceptible to the virus, officials said.

The ongoing survey has so far identified about 6 million families with comorbidities and/or old age. According to officials, Karnataka is the first major state to map citizens in such a manner so the local administrations can track them easily.

“These susceptible families are monitored daily. Twice a day, they receive a phone call enquiring after their health. The state government has informed the Centre that it has employed an IT firm to track people, apart from the usual data from government departments,” said a senior official.

The Centre had earlier asked states to use technology, such as tracking the phones numbers, to keep a tab on vulnerable people.

Along with Tamil Nadu, Karnataka was the first to cap the Covid treatment costs in private hospitals—a move that is now being considered by other states.

The state now has 72 Covid-19 testing labs which can carry out 15,000 tests daily, a state official said. On average, 7,500 people per million are being tested, Yediyurappa said.