Bengaluru's Covid mystery: 3,300 patients go off BBMP radar as tally crosses 43,503

Bengaluru, as the pandemic progresses, is reporting an alarming increase in cases. But, the city has a new problem 'untraceable' COVID-19 patients. There are over 3,300 patients in the city Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike is unable to track at this point. 

Citizens are finding this a major concern as the become untraceable sources of infection that the government has no handle on. 

Bengaluru's missing 3,300 COVID patients

COVID-19 in Bengaluru now is literally on the loose. Over the past few days, reports emerged that there are a sizeable number of patients that the government are unable to track with reports of 11,000 coming to the fore.

Now, the BBMP has said there are 3,338 such patients in the city. The problem arises when patients who give false details to authorities at the time of swab collection. This poses a risk of these infected persons spreading infection as they go along. 

The BBMP Commissioner Manjunatha Prasad told NDTV, "We could trace some of the positive patients with the help of the police but 3,338 are still untraceable. Some of them provided the wrong mobile number and address at the time of giving samples." 

Now, the authorities are still in the process of trying to trace these patients who've hoodwinked BBMP. The number of COVID-19 patients untraceable in the city accounts for 7.6% of the 43,503 cases the city has reported as on Sunday. 

As Karnataka CM Yediyurappa has insisted that the 5T approach- Trace, Track, Test, Treat and Technology will be essential to fighting COVID-19 in the state, right now for 7.6% of the patients the 'trace' and 'track' part of the approach has been lost which in turn will make it impossible to 'treat' as well.