Bypoll effect: 86 of 14,727 samples test Covid-19 positive in RR Nagar

Did by the just-concluded bypolls have an effect on Covid-19 cases? Test for three more days, says chair of the technical advisory committee (TAC).

RR Nagar where the recent polls were held has nine wards, a population of 5,62201 and seven urban primary health centres. The by-elections were conducted on November 3 and though it's been a week, it's too soon to reach conclusions, Dr C N Manjunath, Chairman of TAC, owing to the incubation period of the virus, said on Wednesday.

"We should test all people involved in the election process after three more days before we conclude the polls did not have an effect on Covid-19 cases," he said. TAC met on the same day as elections and discussed violations of Covid precautions during the bypolls.

As per TAC's advise, all officials involved in the election process, all symptomatic individuals, the elderly, and those with comorbidities were tested. Testing was held in two phases between November 6 and November 9, and November 11 and November 14.

As on November 11, six people deployed for election work tested positive out of 2,310 tested, and 78 people of the general public tested turned out positive out of 12,417. In all, 86 people out of 14,727 tested turned out positive. This makes the test positivity rate 0.57%.

In Sira, out of 15,874 tested, 103 tested positive which made the TPR 0.65%. The state's TPR was 2.33% on November 10.