With Over 1,50,000 Active COVID-19 Cases, Bengaluru Is Now The Worst-Hit District In India

Karnataka, like the rest of India, has been badly hit by the second wave of COVID-19 and it is most evident in the capital, Bengaluru.

As of Saturday, Karnataka has seen more than 12.7 lakh COVID-19 infections, out of which over 2.1 lakh are active cases.

Out of this, Bengaluru alone accounted for over 150,000 active coronavirus cases, the highest for any city in the country.

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This has left health care professionals alarmed. Many fear that in the coming days the number of cases could go up further which would lead to the collapse of the already overstretched medical infrastructure.

Worrying signs

It is predicted that at this pace, by May 1, Bengaluru will be seeing around 2,500 new cases every day.

Keeping this in mind the Karnataka Task Advisory Committee on COVID- 19 has asked the state government to impose stringent restrictions, including lockdown for 14 days to break the chain.

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Two strategies to fall back on

Professor and Head of Lifecourse Epidemiology, Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), Giridhar Babu told PTI: "I have on record said that there are two main strategies.

Firstly, we need to reduce the number of cases and that will happen only by a stringent lockdown for at least 14 days.

Secondly, we should expand the bed capacity by taking as much as possible beds from all the private medical colleges, nursing homes and hospitals."

According to him, the 14 days lockdown will reduce the number of infections.

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He said that the state may witness the peak of the second wave by the May end or the first week of June.

Eminent cardiologist and director of the Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, C N Manjunath also expressed similar views and said that COVID cases may come down by May end or the first week of June, people's behaviour for the next six to nine months will hold the key.

"The most important is when the cases come down, guards should not be let down.

Facemask wearing and physical distancing should continue while most importantly congregation should be banned," he told PTI.

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In view of the explosion of COVID-19 cases the Karnataka government has decided to set up makeshift hospitals with ICU and ventilator in Bengaluru and elsewhere in a fortnight and ordered the private facilities to reserve 80 per cent of the beds for coronavirus patients.

A 2,000-bed makeshift ICU with ventilators will be set up on the campus of the tertiary care hospitals in Bengaluru and similar facilities with about 250 beds will be established in Mysuru, Hubballi, Bidar, Belagavi and Shivamogga.

Cremation grounds in Bengaluru are also seeing an increase in the number of funerals.

Earlier this week Karnataka Revenue Minister R. Ashoka said that the government has identified a four-acre land in Tavarekere in Bengaluru western suburb which will be opened for the cremation of Covid-19 dead bodies.