Surging cases in hotspots pose challenge for Karnataka

The Covid-19 outbreak in Karnataka hasn’t been so virulent compared to other states, as many districts have remained virus-free.

But what should worry the government are the surging cases in the hotspots in the past 10 days, even as the number of taluks and BBMP wards classified as hotspots saw a marginal decline.

A case in point is Hongasandra in Bengaluru, which has the most cases as of April 25. Interestingly, Hongasandra was not even classified as a hotspot on April 15, revealing the see-sawing nature of the battle.

Apart from Hongasandra, Padarayanapura, which was sealed recently, is another challenge for the government. Cases in the ward shot up from a mere three on April 15 to 19 by April 25.

Among taluks, the outbreak in Nanjangud has been the most severe, with cases surging from 18 to 53 during the period, making it the worst-hit taluk in the state. Other taluks with high infections include Bengaluru North (44 cases) and Vijayapura (39 cases).

The surge in numbers was also due to the rise in the number of tests conducted by the state government.

But there is also some encouraging news. According to government data, between April 15 and April 25 the number of BBMP wards classified as hotspots — which applies to any ward or taluk with one Covid-19 positive case in the last 28 days — decreased from 34 to 30. While 20 of the 198 wards have one case each, five wards have reported two cases, three have reported three cases.

The number of hotspot taluks saw a slight increase from 38 to 39. Among them, 13 taluks have one case, one taluk has two cases while three taluks have three cases.

Medical Education minister K Sudhakar told DH that they were awaiting directions from the central government on the future course of action. “On Monday, the PM will have a video conference with all CMs. Such issues will be discussed and directions issued,” he said.

On hotspots in Karnataka, he said that the government was carefully handling such red zones. “Many people have recovered from Covid-19 and the number of such hotspots has also decreased marginally,” he added.