Spike in COVID cases, deaths in Karnataka

Karnataka reported another worrisome day on the Covid-19 front with 8642 people testing positive on Wednesday, taking the total active cases to 81,097 and the total caseload to 2,49,590.

There were 126 COVID-related deaths, taking the total to 4327. Bengaluru alone recorded 56 COVID-related deaths Wednesday.

Bengaluru also topped the COVID chart recording 2804 new cases pushing the total to 96,910.

There was a considerable rise in cases in the districts also with Shivamogga recording 915 new cases followed by Ballari (537), Belagavi (379) and Udupi 375.

In a COVID-related incident, a postgraduate student of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) here committed suicide as he feared that he was COVID positive since he showed symptoms of the infection.

The police said the victim was Sandeep Kumar from Chhattisgarh.

Meanwhile, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) – the civic body — on Wednesday stated that 816 sanitation workers in Bengaluru have tested positive for the coronavirus. In a written submission to the Karnataka High Court, the civic body said 11,902 rapid antigen tests and 3872 RT-PCR tests were conducted on the workers, including supervisors, helpers and drivers, involved in solid waste management in the city.

Of the 816 workers who tested positive, 423 workers were hospitalised, 341 workers received treatment in Covid-Care Centres, while 52 remained in home isolation.