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Covid-19 cases likely to peak in May: Govt
The Karnataka government on Sunday said that the ongoing second wave of Covid-19 in Bengaluru and other parts of the state is likely to peak in May and possibly subside by the end of the month
The Karnataka government on Sunday said that the ongoing second wave of Covid-19 in Bengaluru and other parts of the state is likely to peak in May and possibly subside by the end of the month.
“We must be vigilant till the end of May. If there is a surge in cases, our health infrastructure will be overburdened,” K Sudhakar, state health & family welfare and medical education minister said on Sunday.
He added that the government has asked for a report from the technical advisory committee (TAC) on Covid-19 and will then decide on its future course of action. “Suggestions which impact economic activities will not be considered. However, experts have suggested that we must curb large gatherings and crowds that spread the infection,” Sudhakar said.
The statement on the possible Covid-19 peak comes on a day when Bengaluru reported its highest single-day spike with 7,584 new cases and 27 out of the total 40 fatalities in the 24 hours on Saturday.
Director of Jayadeva Institute of Cardiology and member of the TAC Dr C N Manjunath said Bengaluru alone may report 15,000 to 18,000 cases a day by May 15, as per the provisional estimates.
“Of 7,000 fresh cases that the state is reporting, lion’s share is from Bengaluru. The city is reporting in the range of 5,500 to 6,000 cases, and as per provisional estimate, the city alone may report 15,000 to 18,000 infections and we need to be prepared for it,” he said.
The record number of cases in Bengaluru pushed Karnataka’s Covid cases over the five-figure mark for the first time since October last year as the southern state reported 10,250 cases.
There are 69,255 active cases in Karnataka of which Bengaluru accounts for 51,236, according to the daily bulletin of the state health department on Sunday. Sudhakar said that the administration will focus on creating more mini-containment zones to contain the spread of the virus and allow as many businesses to remain open.
The situation in other parts of the state continued to deteriorate after 103 cases were reported in Ballari, 117 in Bengaluru Rural, 290 in Bidar, 133 in Dakshina Kannada, 150 in Dharwad, 170 in Hassan, 291 in Kalaburagi, 277 in Mysuru and 150 in Tumakuru.
Raichuru, a district which has one bypoll bound constituency, also reported a sharp spike after 103 new infections were recorded. The state government reiterated its earlier orders to thoroughly screen people coming from other states that have seen a surge in cases like Kerala and Maharashtra among others.
Though the administration has been tough on individual violators for not wearing masks and not maintaining social distancing, there appears to be no effort to contain the growing crowds in political rallies and campaigning as part of the upcoming bypolls on April 17 in three constituencies of the state.
Despite earlier resistance, the BS Yediyurappa government announced a night curfew for 10 days (April 10-20) as a measure to contain the spread of the disease in India’s IT capital and other places like Mysuru, Kalaburagi, Bidar, Tumakuru, Dakshina Kannada and Mangaluru.
The government held a meeting with the TAC and even sought a report on the Covid-19 situation in the state. The shortage of beds in hospitals has already begun to show in Bengaluru, which has the best medical infrastructure in the state, as one person allegedly died after not being able to secure an ICU.
Chief minister B S Yediyurappa on Sunday appealed to the people, those eligible, to get vaccinated.”Vaccine is the biggest weapon available to us in this battle against Covid-19. I urge all eligible citizens to get vaccinated and also encourage people around you to get vaccinated,” he said in another tweet. The state government has begun vaccination drives in apartments and offices across Bengaluru and other places to contain the surge. Karnataka has so far inoculated around 6 million people, according to official data.
