JOIN USCoronavirus patient tally projected to cross 1,000 in Karnataka by May 6
Even as the government continues to enforce lockdown measures, the number of Covid-19 cases in the state could well double over the next week, according to an internal projection.
The projection, prepared by the State COVID-19 War Room that DH accessed, shows that the total number of cases will hit 1,086 by May 6, which is slightly more than double the present 535 cases. The projection has been made based on the average growth rate of coronavirus cases till April 25, officials said.
According to the projection, Bengaluru Urban, which had 142 Covid positive cases on April 25, is likely to see up to 287 cases by May 6. Likewise, Mysuru, which had 88 cases, is likely to see 142 cases and Kalaburagi, with 36, might see 97 cases by next week.
Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar, who is in charge of Covid-19 in Bengaluru, told DH that the graph was only indicative and was subject to change. “This is an indicative graph, which we make from time to time to keep all officials on vigil,” he said. “There is no perfect formula to predict the exact number of cases. For instance, cases were recently reported from Padarayanapura, which was unexpected,” he pointed out.
Karnataka wants to contain COVID-19 cases within 700, Sudhakar said. “We hope it will not reach the number as projected (1,086). We have already put in place stringent regulations wherever there has been a cause for concern. Individuals and organisations must also take precautions from their end,” he said.
On the testing front, the government’s capacity has massively improved and there was adequate infrastructure, according to State Nodal Officer for Lab Testing C N Manjunath. “Our testing capacity has increased. While until April 14, we were conducting about 500 tests per day, on Tuesday we conducted 4,700 tests. Till now, we have completed 50,000 tests. We have now also begun to test secondary contacts,” he said.
As for the number of labs, Dr Manjunath said Karnataka has 24 labs, with another five expected to open for testing in the coming week. He stressed that there was no cause for worry as far as the available infrastructure was concerned.