A day after Karnataka's Health Minister K Sudhakar said that the fourth wave of COVID-19 will not happen in the state, two new variants of the virus have been detected in Bengaluru. Meanwhile, the state's Test Positivity Rate (TPR) has crossed the 1% mark, highest it has been in over a month.
A day after Karnataka's Health Minister K Sudhakar said that a fourth wave of COVID-19 will not happen in the state, two new variants of the virus have been detected in Bengaluru, while the state's Test Positivity Rate (TPR) crossed the 1% mark.
Karnataka's Test Positivity Rate (TPR) crossed the 1% mark on Thursday. (HT File Photo)
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Karnataka health minister K Sudhakar had assured that the government was taking all the required precautionary measures and monitoring rise in cases in other states and countries. However, amid a slight rise in nation-wide count of COVID-19 cases, two new SARS-CoV-2 mutants, called the BA.2.10 and the BA.2.12, have been found in Bengaluru by INSACOG attached labs, which is a forum set up under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
The BA.2.10 and the BA.2.12 are reportedly related to the Omicron sub-variant BA.2. However, it was reported that the data obtained is too limited to know the transmission rate of these sub-variants. The daily COVID-19 update tweet from BBMP chief Gaurav Gupta for Thursday showed that the city's positivity rate was 2.42% in Bengaluru
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According to data shared by the health department on Thursday, Bengaluru Urban has reported 300 cases in the past week, while the district had around 1,428 active cases.
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According to data shared by the health department on Thursday, Bengaluru Urban has reported 300 cases in the past week, while the district had around 1,428 active cases.
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INSACOG scientists in Delhi admitted to having found the BA2.12.1 mutant, which is also a sub-type under the Omicron variant. This could possibly be the reason for the recent surge in cases, which is probably the reason for the current surge. The report quoted experts who said that the BA2.10 sub-lineage has been found in the past places like South Africa, but the clinical picture is more or less the same as Omicron. Hence, there is no need to panic.
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On the other hand, the state's positivity rate is on the rise. Karnataka had consistently been maintaining a TPR of less than 0.5% since mid-March, but a report said that it rose from 0.56% on April 10 to 0.78% the next day and touched 1.02% on Thursday. This TPR is the highest in over a month.
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.
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