Karnataka COVID-19 war room releases new hotspot data

To address glaring errors in its initial COVID-19 'hotspot' data released on Tuesday as part of its daily COVID-19 Bulletin, the COVID-19 War Room has released new data, which it said is accurate.

The information, which is up to date as of April 15, not only includes cases within the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s (BBMP) municipal boundaries but also statewide information on the reach of the disease.

The numbers, which showcase current and positive COVID-19 cases, bring a sense of perspective to the outbreak. The recent outbreak at Mysuru’s Nanjangud Pharma Cluster has elevated Mysore City as the number two COVID-19 hotspot in the state.

The royal city’s tally is now 32 plus another 14 from the Nanjangud cluster. In contrast, Bengaluru South’s tally is 28, while Bengaluru North’s is 26. Meanwhile, Kalburgi follows with 12, Bidar with 11.

BBMP Data

However, it is the data on cases within BBMP limits that surprises the most. The largest collection of cases as of April 15, according to the data is at Ward 18 (Radhakrishna Temple), showing five cases over the last 28 days.

Wards 129 ( Jnana Bharath), 135 (Padrayanapura), 152 (Suddagunte Palya) and 179 (Shakambari Nagar) each show three cases each. Wards 57 (C V Raman Nagar), 112 (Domlur), 134 (Bapuji Nagar), 196 (Anjanapura) and 198 (Hemmigepura) each show two cases each.

The 'hotspot' designation, which applies to any ward which has had one positive case of COVID-19 in the last 28 days, as per an April 11 order by the Government of Karnataka, was initially applied to 38 wards in the city. However, the new data indicates 34 wards. Twenty-four of these wards show one case each. The total tally is 51 cases within BBMP limits over the last 28 days.

According to data from the Department of Health and Family Welfare, there were currently a total of 34 active COVID-19 cases in Bengaluru Urban.

This discrepancy is because some of the cases indicated in the lists have been discharged from hospitals after being cured, a senior BBMP official explained.

“Some 35 people have been discharged as cured. But we continue to tag these wards as ‘hotspots’ to ensure that a monitoring mechanism exists for that ward,” the official added.

In addition, the Department of Health and Family Welfare mandates that all people discharged from hospital isolation, whether cured or suspected on a further period of home quarantine for 14 days. “This is because worldwide case studies have shown that the virus sometimes resurfaces in an affected individual within a period of 28 days from the point of incubation,” explained Dr. V Ravi of the COVID-19 Coordination Committee.

The BBMP Commissioner B H Anil Kumar had told DH that the 'Hotspot' designations are dynamic and would change as the information changed.

Thursday marks the 38th official day of the viral outbreak in Karnataka, when Patient 1 was first admitted to Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Chest Disease in Bengaluru on March 9.