Peak position: Bengaluru reports 3,799 new Covid patients

BENGALURU: It was a new high for Bengaluru, which reported 3,799 cases on Thursday, pushing up the total number of cases in the city to 1,84,082, with active cases at 41,053. “The number of cases is high due to increased testing. Hence, the positivity rate has increased.

With spaces opening up, there are more gatherings, and people don’t adhere to social distancing. We cannot attribute the rising cases to inter-state travellers, as the existing population itself has thousands of cases, leading to a spread of the virus among primary and secondary contacts,” said Dr Vijendra Bilaguli, BBMP chief health officer.

The highest number of cases in the city — 19 per cent — are reported from East zone in Bengaluru, as per the BBMP War Room bulletin of September 15. Thursday saw 9,366 new cases, taking the Karnataka tally to 4,94,356 cases. The top five districts in terms of the day’s cases include Bengaluru, Ballari (677 cases), Mysuru (591), Tumakuru (381) and Dakshina Kannada (308 cases).

A 1.5-month-old infant boy from Dakshina Kannada passed away due to Covid. He was admitted on September 4 and passed away on September 14. He suffered fever, breathlessness and cerebrovascular accident, the medical term for stroke. The department is yet to find the contact or travel history of the boy.