500 ICU beds to be set up in 8 municipal zones of Bengaluru

Bengaluru: With Bengaluru becoming a COVID-19 hot spot, the Karnataka government on Friday decided to set up 500 extra ICU beds in each of the eight municipal zones in the city.

To ensure that the temporary hospitals come up on a fast-track basis, the government-appointed senior IPS officer and Commissioner of Information and Public Relations Dr P S Harsha as the nodal officer.

Principal Secretary to government N Manjunatha Prasad, in an order to appoint the nodal officer, said, ‘The unprecedented surge in COVID-19 cases in Bengaluru has necessitated the expeditious ramping up of healthcare facility in Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike area to provide timely and appropriate treatment.’ Karnataka today reported over 48,000 cases and 217 fatalities and Bengaluru recorded 26,756 infections and 93 deaths on a single day.