The number of active COVID-19 cases in the third wave in Karnataka fell below the 50,000 mark on Friday after hitting a peak of 3,62,487 cases on January 24. While the State had 52,013 active cases on Thursday (February 10), the number further reduced to 44,571 active cases on February 11 (Friday).
The last time active caseload was around 50,000 was on January 9, 2022 when the 49,602 were under treatment. Subsequently, when active cases crossed 73,260 on January 11, Union Joint Secretary Rajesh Bhushan wrote to States and Union Territories advising them to keep a daily watch on active cases, home isolation and hospital cases, especially those needing oxygen.
Active cases, which have been consistently declining since September 2021, started rising from the end of December when the third wave began in the State.
By January 1, 2022, however, active cases stood at 9,386, crossing the 9,000 mark for the first time since mid-October 2021 before reaching 10,292 on January 2. In five days, the number doubled, touching 22,173 on January 6. Since then, the number of active cases saw a rapid rise till January 24, when as many as 3,62,487 patients were under treatment. The cases, since then, have seen a steady decline.
C.N. Manjunath, nodal officer for labs and testing in the State’s COVID-19 task force and member of the State’s Clinical Experts Committee, said both the ascent and descent in the third wave has been very rapid.
Pointing out that the rate of hospitalisation is a good yardstick to assess the severity of the wave, Dr Manjunath said this has also been on a steady decline. As of Friday, a total of 2,628 patients were in hospitals of which only 112 had been put on ventilators.
“Although the third wave is flattening, we have to be vigilant at least for the next six months. We have to watch out for the emergence of any new variants and not let our guard down. The most important thing is avoiding overcrowding in poorly ventilated indoor places. Those who have symptoms should get tested and those eligible for a booster shot should take it without any delay,” the doctor asserted.