Riding on the pandemic's second wave, a record 25,795 new Covid cases were registered in a day across Karnataka, with Bengaluru accounting for 15,244 of them, said the state health bulletin on Thursday.
"With 25,795 patients testing positive on Wednesday, the state's Covid tally shot up to 12,47,997, including 1,96,236 active cases, while recoveries increased to 10,37,857, with 5,624 discharged during the day," said the bulletin.
Bengaluru registered 15,244 fresh cases on Wednesday, taking the city's Covid tally to 5,98,919, including 1,37,813 active cases, while 4,55,655 recovered, with 2,257 discharged in the last 24 hours.
In all, 123 Covid patients, including 68 in Bengaluru succumbed to the virus, taking the state's death toll to 13,885 and the city's toll to 5,450.
Among the districts across the state, 1,231 new Covid cases were reported in Tumakur, 940 in Ballari, 818 in Mysuru, 689 in Hassan, 659 in Kalaburagi, 587 in Kolar, 474 in Dakshina Kannada and 405 in Raichur.
Of the 985 patients in the intensive care units (ICUs), 243 are in Bengaluru hospitals, 175 in Kalaburagi, 82 in Tumakur, 51 in Mysuru, 50 in Dharwad, 47 in Davanagere, 44 in Kolar and 43 in Shivamogga, with the rest spread in the remaining 23 districts.
Out of 1,62,534 tests conducted during the day across the state, 17,056 were through rapid antigen detection and 1,45,478 through RT-PCR method. Positivity rate rose to 15.87 per cent while case fatality rate was 0.47 per cent across the state on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, 88,363 people, including 38,893 senior citizens above 60 years of age and 45,035 in the 45-59 years age group were vaccinated during the day. Cumulatively, 76,41,817 people, including healthcare workers and frontline warriors have received the jab till date since the vaccination drive was launched on January 16 across the southern state.
2 cremation grounds in outskirts of Bengaluru
Owing to shortage of space in city cremation grounds with more dead bodies lining up even at the midnight, Karnataka Revenue Minister R. Ashoka on Thursday said that the government has identified a four-acre land in Tavarekere in Bengaluru western suburb which will be opened for cremation of Covid-19 dead bodies.
After attending the meeting virtually with Chief Minister B. S. Yediyurappa, the minister told reporters that the government was in search of land that should be in the vicinity of Bengaluru where dead bodies could be cremated openly.
"This four acre land is already a functional cemetery, here we stocked 20 truck loads of firewood and sunk-in borewell too besides drawing up power lines," he said and added that this new facility would help to reduce queues at various crematoriums that are overcrowded with bodies.
Ashoka claimed that the new cremation ground can handle 50-60 bodies on a daily basis and as per traditions and it will be open for the public from Friday itself. "Even though we have stocked 20 truck loads of firewood, We have taken steps to arrange 100 loads of firewood by cutting down eucalyptus trees," he said.
Apart from this, the minister said that the state government had also identified another 100-acre land about three km from Tavarekere which would be ready by this weekend.
Manipulation of death figures
Rebutting that number of deaths being manipulated by the government, Ashoka said that dead bodies from surrounding areas that are within a radius of 15-20 km from Bengaluru are coming to utilise cremation facilities in Bengaluru and it has led to overcrowding city facilities.
"For the sole reason of burning bodies, people are getting them to Bengaluru from hospitals located in a 15-20 km radius. That's why there's this burden. Rural Covid-19 patients from Magadi, Ramanagara, Channapatna and Devanahalli are coming to the city for hospitalisation," he said.
Yediyurappa discharged from the hospital
Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, who was discharged from the hospital after Covid treatment on Thursday, made an emotional appeal to the people of the state to follow all the curfew norms and Covid safety protocols. The Chief Minister said that the Covid situation is deteriorating with each passing day in Karnataka and at least now the people should cooperate with the government in containing the virus.
"I request the people with folded hands, do not step out of your homes unnecessarily. The situation is deteriorating and we have reached a stage where things have become uncontrollable," the CM said.
Yediyurappa was discharged from a private hospital in Bengaluru where he was undergoing treatment for Covid-19 for the second time in the last eight months. The 78-year-old leader was admitted to the Manipal Hospital on April 16 after he had tested positive for Covid-19 for the second time, despite taking a vaccine.
Yediyurappa had earlier tested positive for Covid-19 on August 2 last year. The Chief Minister had received the first dose of the vaccine on March 12.
