JOIN USIn a massive jump, Karnataka reports 41,457 new Covid-19 cases; 25,595 from Bengaluru alone
Karnataka on Tuesday reported 41,457 cases, the biggest single-day surge so far in the current wave, while Bengaluru inched closer to breaking its own pandemic record set last year by clocking 25,595 fresh infections.
The huge spike of 14,301 cases in the state’s tally (Karnataka on Monday reported 27,156 cases) in less than 24 hours pushed the positivity rate from 12.45% to 22.30%.
The state also reported 20 deaths, of which Bengaluru accounted for seven.
“As revealed by experts in their reports, we are moving towards the peak of the third wave. We may even report 1.2 lakh cases on a single day according to the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Report,” said Health and Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar.
But there is a silver lining to this surge, according to Sudhakar. “What is comforting is that the case numbers will come down at the same speed as they are increasing now. By February second or third week, the cases may decline gradually,” he said, adding that fresh cases are rising steadily in rural parts of Karnataka.
But hospitalisation and mortality rates are still low, both in Bengaluru and Karnataka, he added.
“In the last 24 hours we have done 1,85,872 tests and we are planning to scale this up to two lakh cases on a daily basis,” Sudhakar said.
The highest single-day spike during the second wave in Bengaluru was reported on April 30, 2021, when the city recorded 26,756 cases with a positivity rate of 41.61%.
By then, the city was conducting 64,288 tests.
Similarly, Karnataka had reported its highest one-day surge on May 5, 2021, when 50,112 cases were logged with a positivity rate of 32.28%.
Cases in the BBMP limits saw a week-on-week increase of 250%, which is in line with other major cities in the country, said BBMP officials.
The officer attributed the surge to increased movement of people.
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