Bengaluru's Covid-19 surge continues, 107 new cases reported

The surge of Covid-19 cases in the city continued for the third straight day, with 107 new cases and six new deaths being reported on Tuesday.

Tuesday’s total, while lower than those of previous days, was nevertheless described as a problem the government was deeply concerned about, according to various health officers.

A source clarified that health officials knew that the surge was coming, as early as June 18. This knowledge had prompted the government to take steps to empanel several private hospitals for Covid-19 care, the source added.

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The majority of Tuesday’s cases comprised 52 people with symptoms of Influenza-Like Illness (ILI), plus 23 others placed in the category of “contacts under tracing” signifying that these cases were still under investigation.

Seventeen are primary contacts of known Covid-19 patients. Three of them are contacts of Patient 9279, a 26-year-old woman, who was identified as positive on June 23. She did not have a known origin source of the disease.

Five others are contacts of Patient 8218, a 57-year-old man from Avalahalli who had ILI and one is a contact of Patient 6872, a 40-year-old woman who had, in turn, contracted the disease from a 38-year-old man on June 14.

Six of the new cases are said to be contacts of at least three different areas - Marathalli, Arekere and Kalasipalya. Interestingly, all six cases are policemen aged between 26 and 65. Only the oldest of them is symptomatic with a fever and cough. He first showed symptoms on June 20.

Deaths

The city claimed to have discharged 24 individuals on Tuesday. But these numbers were offset by six new deaths, among them a 47-year-old woman, who had Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) and diabetes. She died on June 20. The second patient is an 85-year-old woman with hypertension and Chronic Kidney Disease, who died of Covid-19 on June 22.

The third patient is a 62-year-old man from Prakruthinagar who died on June 18, hours after he was admitted into Covid-care. He had several late-stage symptoms of the disease, including breathlessness.

The fourth fatality is a 67-year-old man from Thanisandra who did not have any comorbidities, although he too had trouble breathing. He died on June 20.

The last casualty is a 40-year-old man from Vidyaranyapura, which is among the areas affected by updated BBMP seal down orders. He died on June 21. He suffered from hypertension.