138 more test positive for COVID-19 in Karnataka, active cases

breach 1,000 mark

Bengaluru, May 22 () Once again crossing the century mark, Karnataka reported 138 new cases of coronavirus, taking the total number of infections to 1,743 as the state tested a record 12,229 samples on Friday, the health department said. In continuing trend in recent days, most of the new cases were returnees from other states, majority from neighboring Maharashtra, one of the worst hit states in the country. "Of the 138 cases, 116 are those who have returned from other states - 111 from Maharashtra, two each from Telanagana and Delhi, and one from Jharkhand," Minister S Suresh Kumar, spokesperson for COVID-19 in Karnataka, told reporters here. Since April 24, a total of 526 people, among those who came from Maharashtra after registering in the government portal, have tested positive. With the spike in infections, the number of active cases in the state crossed 1,000 mark while 26 patients were discharged on Friday.

As of Friday evening, cumulatively 1,743 COVID-19 positive cases had been confirmed and this included 41 deaths and 597 discharges, the health department bulletin said. It said, out of 1,104 active cases, 1,085 patients are in isolation at designated hospitals and are stable, while 19 are in the intensive care unit. Chikkaballapura district accounted for the highest number of new cases on Friday at 47. Among others, Hassan reported 14 cases, Raichur 10, Bidar nine and Mandya and Tumakuru eight each. Bengaluru Urban district still tops the table with a total of 261 positive cases, followed by Mandya 209 and Kalaburagi 134. Among the discharges too, the city district was leading with total 130 recoveries followed by Mysuru 88 and Belagavi 65.

A total of 1,86,526 samples had been tested so far, out of which 12,229 on Friday alone with 1,83,088 and 11,604 of them being negative respectively. Stating that eight international flights have come to Bengaluru so far carrying 1,035 passengers, the Minister said, Swab samples of all the returnees have been collected, out of them one was positive and 325 are primary contacts.

Responding to a question about rules not being followed by people in containment zones, he said, along with government measures to control the spread of pandemic, the public should also observe "social responsibility" and cooperate with agencies like police, health department among others. Authorities were already taking measures to enforce strict restrictions in these containment zones, he added. KSU VS VS