BENGALURU: In yet another record for the state, a total of 70 Covid-related deaths were registered on Saturday, taking the toll to 613. The number of cases were also high — 2,798 — shooting the total positives up to 36,216.
Of the 2,798 cases, Bengaluru Urban district alone recorded 1,533 cases. A majority of the deaths were SARI and ILI patients with contact tracing still underway, and four deaths were of asymptomatic patients. Apart from Bengaluru Urban’s 23 fatalities, deaths were reported from Shivamogga, Raichur, Mysuru, Gadag, Dakshina Kannada, Dharwad, Chikkaballapura, Ballari, Hassan, Vijaypura and Tumakuru.
In better news, the state also saw a high number of discharges — 880. A total of 14,716 people have been discharged till date. Speaking to the media on Saturday, Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar said that rapid antigen tests were being distributed across districts, with 50,000 reserved for Bengaluru. He also said that people should avoid the three ‘Cs’— Closed spaces with improper ventilation, crowds (of more than two people) and close-contact settings.
He also urged citizens to follow the three ‘Ws’ — watch your distance (maintain six-feet distance), wear masks in public and wash hands frequently. He added the state government is preparing itself to tackle the rising cases by organising adequate infrastructure. Meanwhile, the state nodal officer stated that the rise in cases is due to the change in weather. “Influenza cases go up when the weather changes, similar to how Covid cases are going up now. Even when H1N1 was prevalent, we saw a similar rise in cases due to changing weather conditions.”