BENGALURU: Districts like Bidar, Yadgir, Haveri and Bagalkot in North Karnataka have been reporting nil or single-digit new Covid-19 cases over the past 10 days, and this is a clear sign that the second wave is at its fag end in Karnataka, says Dr CN Manjunath, nodal officer for Covid-19 testing in the state.
Raichur and Vijayapura reported zero cases on Friday, while Haveri had no infections on Thursday. Bidar reported zero infections on both days. Yadgir reported one case on Thursday and three the next day. Bagalkot reported one infection each on both days. As on Friday, Bidar had zero active cases, Raichur three and Gadag 17.
The drop in daily cases in these districts has significantly contributed to a fall in the state’s overall numbers. However, some experts say testing and tracing must be beefed up in districts that report zero cases. But Dr Manjunath says there has been no let-up in testing at all. The positivity rate in these districts is less than 0.1%.
“The trend is clear that there is a decline in cases and in the severity of the disease as well. The fact that there has been no ICU admissions or deaths in these districts is evidence of this,” said Dr Manjunath.
Barring Dakshina Kannada where the positivity rate is 2%, the trend is largely similar across the state.
“Daily cases have been static between 1,200-1,300 a day,” Dr Manjunath said. “Barring Kerala, we are seeing a similar trend across the country. It was the same at the end of the first wave too. The interval between waves is 5-6 months, and we may have a third wave in October-November. While imminent, we don’t know what the magnitude will be.”
Yadgir did not have a single case for more than a week till Thursday. At least 2,000 tests are conducted every day in the district. It had one patient in hospital and 23 in home isolation as on Thursday.
“We test aggressively at railway and bus stations,” said Dr Indumathi Patil, district health officer (DHO), Yadgir. “During Raksha Bandhan, two people from Bengaluru had tested positive. In another case recently, a nursing student from Dakshina Kannada tested positive. However, inter-district movement is low.”
Bidar has not reported a fresh case since August 22, when one case was detected. “For the past 16 days, there have been no new infections, which indicates no local transmission,” said Dr VG Reddy, DHO. “There has been no drop in testing either. Perhaps, this is a sign of the end of the second wave. Surveillance has been tightened, especially in border areas.”
Asked about the trend, Dr Annasaheb M Naratti, director, health and family welfare department, said a review is on. However, health department officials fear local body elections in Hubballi-Dharwad and Kalaburagi could trigger a fresh outbreak.
CLUSTER CASE COUNT UP TO 34
Covid cases in Horamavu’s Christian College of Nursing touched 34 on Friday, a day when health minister K Sudhakar visited the institution. TOI was the first to report the cluster outbreak on September
1. “Karnataka is an educational hub and many students come here from across the country. There are about 800 nursing colleges in the state. All schools and colleges must follow guidelines and be vigilant,” said the minister. About 700-800 residents in the neighbourhood of the college will also be tested, Sudhakar added.
On the demand to lift restrictions for Ganesha Chaturthi, Sudhakar said it is a sensitive issue. “But we must not forget that Covid spun out of control in Kerala after restrictions were lifted for Onam and Muharram,” he said.
