Bengaluru sees 3-fold rise in Covid cases; positivity rate at 2.9%

The number of Covid cases in Bengaluru has seen a nearly three-fold increase over the last ten days with the positivity rate going up from 1.1 per cent to 2.9 per cent.

According to the bulletin released by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Bengaluru reported 178 cases on May 31 and this increased to 494 by June 10.

Of the top 10 wards reporting the highest number of cases, eight of them are from Mahadevapura, making it the major contributor to the rise in infections. The other two wards fall under Bommanahalli.

“The wards in our zone are thickly populated. For instance, Bellandur alone has a population close to 1,30,000. That apart, wards like Hagadur and Varthur also have populations close to 60,000. Hence, the number of cases is also high,” explained Dr Surendra R, BBMP Health Officer (Mahadevapura).

BBMP officials also attributed the increase to a large number of migrant workers in the area.

“The number of migrant workers and construction workers is high in the area. Also, since it is an IT hub, a large number of people undertake domestic and international travel which is likely to increase the chance of infection,” officials from BBMP’s health wing said.

Clusters on a rise

The number of active clusters in the city has increased from five to 12, over the last ten days. On Friday alone, five new clusters were reported. Yet again, of the 12 clusters, 11 of them were reported from Mahadevapura.

“We have seen that once a member turns positive, the entire family is getting infected. Also, of the 11 clusters, 10 of them are reported from apartments,” a senior BBMP official said.

The number of tests conducted across the city has increased and the hospitalisations are being closely monitored. For instance, in Mahadevapura, the number of tests have been increased from 1,400 to 2,000 tests a day.