A day after new Covid-19-case figures dipped down to 503, Bengaluru posted 735 new cases on Wednesday, bringing the total number of active cases in the city to 4,694. In contrast to other days, not a single patient was admitted into a private hospital in the city on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, for the first time since June 24, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) posted an area-wide breakdown of the wards, showing the distribution of the new cases. While the information was up to date as of June 30, it did not include a list of active cases by ward.
Officially, the surge in new cases began on June 21, when 196 cases were reported. It was the largest single-day Covid spike in the city’s history. The BBMP data showing cases from June 22 to June 30 reveals that 20 wards across the city have been the hardest hit, with between 11 and 42 new cases.
The wards include Kempegowda, Jakkur, Thanisandra, Horamavu, Hoodi, Bellandur, Banaswadi, Benniganahalli, Hoysala Nagar, Bharathinagar, Shivajinagar, SK Garden, Vidyaranapura, Jnanbharathi, Ullal, T Dasarahalli, Vasanthapura, Konanakunte, Hongasandra and Dharayaswamy Temple.
The sprouting of new cases was nearly across the board. Only eight wards did not report any new cases. These are: Choudeshwari, Kodigehalli, Nagawara, Vasanthnagar, Domlur, Bagalagunte, Kottigepalya and Shakthi Ganapathi Nagar.
485 containment zones
The Palike added that the city currently has 485 active containment zones. By far, the largest number of containment zones are in Bengaluru South.
Speaking about the case distribution, Hephsiba Rani Korlapati, Director of the BBMP Covid Room, called on people to be vigilant. “People have to operate under the assumption that anyone next nearby in a public space is infected. The only way we can beat is this by ensuring that we practice social distancing, wear masks and ensure good hand hygiene,” she said.
Low testing
The city’s testing programme appears to be sporadic. On Tuesday, as per the BBMP data, no tests were conducted. On Wednesday, only 934 tests were conducted. The city’s positivity rate stood at 4.74%.
Among Wednesday’s new cases: 459 were males and 276 were females, out of which the age group with the largest number of cases were 65 women in their 30s. The large age group among males comprised 97 men in their 30s, followed by 96 men in their 30s. The oldest person was a 93-year-old woman from an unspecified area of the city.
Three deaths
There were at least three confirmed deaths in the city on Wednesday, however, only two were reported by the Department of Health and Family Welfare. Both were in their 50s. The first, a woman, has diabetes hypertension and asthma, in addition to breathlessness, which indicates that the disease was in its late-stage. She died on June 30, a day after admittance.
The second fatality died on Wednesday, after spending four days in Covid-care. He had a fever, diabetes and hypertension. The third death was a 45-year-old saloon owner who died near midnight on Tuesday. He had pneumonia, in addition to Covid-19.