This story is from January 20, 2022

Bengaluru’s share of fresh Covid-19 cases dips in past 6 days

In an indication that overall infections in the state may soon begin to plateau, Bengaluru's share of fresh Covid-19 cases in the past six days has dipped with cases in other districts, that usually trail the capital, seeing an uptick.
Bengaluru’s share of fresh Covid-19 cases dips in past 6 days
The number of cases outside Bengaluru has seen more than 200% rise in the past six days while cases in Bengaluru jumped 72%.
BENGALURU: In an indication that overall infections in the state may soon begin to plateau, Bengaluru's share of fresh Covid-19 cases in the past six days has dipped with cases in other districts, that usually trail the capital, seeing an uptick.
In the first 12 days of this month, cases from outside Bengaluru accounted for barely 22.6%, and in the next six days, their share went up to 34.7% taking their overall share this month to 31%.
The number of cases outside Bengaluru has seen more than 200% rise in the past six days while cases in Bengaluru jumped 72%.
Health commissioner Randeep D told TOI: "Going by past trends, other districts trail Bengaluru. We expect Bengaluru to stabilise around 40,000 cases a day and district numbers picking up is an indication that we are nearing the peak and then the cases would go down. Bengaluru trails cities like Mumbai and Delhi by around a week to 10 days, while districts trail Bengaluru by around the same time."
January surge: 5 districts have over 1 lakh cases
In the first 12 days of January, districts outside Bengaluru had cumulatively reported only 20,843 while the capital reported 71,339 cases. In the next six days (January 13-18), Bengaluru added 1.2 lakh cases and Rest of Karnataka (RoK) added 65,789. The state has more than 2.5 lakh active cases, the highest since June 2021. The average daily cases give a better perspective. In the first 12 days, Bengaluru reported 5,945 fresh cases every day on average, while it was 1,737 in RoK. Between January 13 and 18, Bengaluru reported 20,565 cases on average each day, a jump of about 245% compared to a 532% jump recorded in RoK which had 10,965 daily cases on average.

Overall, from only three districts having more than 1 lakh cases as of December 31, the January surge has five districts — Mysuru, Tumakuru, Dakshina Kannada, Hassan and Ballari — with more than 1 lakh cases.
The sharp increase in cases is also reflected in the Test Positivity Rate (TPR). The TPR for January 17, the latest district-wise break-up available for a single day, shows some districts like Hassan, Tumakuru and Mysuru with more than 30% while 21 of 30 districts reporting a double-digit rate. A seven-day average for the past week shows there are more than 10 districts with a double-digit TPR, led by Bengaluru.
Randeep, while urging people to follow Covid appropriate behaviour, reiterated that low hospitalisation is a relief for authorities and the medical fraternity. "If walk-ins (where patients get admitted without triaging) at private hospitals are included, the number of patients occupying beds is still under 5%. We're putting in place all measures, including dedicated beds for Covid, to handle any unforeseen situation," he said.
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About the Author
Chethan Kumar

As a young democracy grows out of adolescence, its rolling out reels and reels of tales. If the first post office or a telephone connection paints one colour, the Stamp of a stock market scam or the ‘Jewel Thieves’ scandal paint yet another colour. If failure of a sounding rocket was a stepping stone, sending 104 satellites in one go was a podium. If farmer suicides are a bad climax, growing number of Unicorns are a grand entry. Chethan Kumar, Senior Assistant Editor, The Times of India, who alternates between the mundane goings-on of the hoi polloi and the wonder-filled worlds of scientists and scamsters, politicians and Jawans, feels: There’s always a story, one just has to find it.

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