COVID-19: Karnataka posts 19,067 cases and 81 deaths

PTI, Apr 18, 2021, 8:44 PM IST

Bengaluru: Karnataka saw 19,067 new coronavirus cases and 81 related deaths on Sunday, taking the gross to 11.61 lakh and toll to 13,351, the health department said. Bengaluru alone contributed 12,793 fresh infections and 60 deaths in the last 24 hours, the biggest ever on a single day.

Due to the spiralling infections for the past one month, the state has now 1,33,543 active cases including 620 in the ICU. According to the health bulletin, so far 10,14,152 patients have been discharged including 4,603 on Sunday.

Mysuru emerged as another major hotspot after Bengaluru with 777 cases and three deaths. The bulletin said 671 infections were reported in Kalaburagi, 494 in Tumakuru, 469 in Bidar, 348 in Hassan, 338 in Mandya, 272 in Dakshina Kannada, 265 in Dharwad, 245 in Bengaluru Rural, 238 in Ballari and 200 in Vijayapura.

Cases were also reported in Bagalkote, Belagavi, Chamarajanagar, Chikkaballapura, Chitradurga, Davangere, Kolar, Raichur,and Yadgir. Besides Bengaluru and Mysuru, deaths have been reported in other districts as well — three in Dharwad, two each in Ballari, Koppal, Uttara Kannada, Vijayapura and Yadgir and one each in Tumakuru, Mandya, Chamarajanagar, Bidar and Belagavi.

A majority of the people who lost their lives were above 50 years of age. A 22-year-old and four people in their thirties were also among the dead. Ever since the outbreak of the second wave of coronavirus, the state has increased the tests as well.

There were 1,45,645 tests carried out on Sunday including 1,32,056 using the RT PCR and other methods taking the total tests done so far to 2.36 crore, the department added. Cumulatively 68 lakh people have been vaccinated so far, including 22,065 on Sunday, since the inoculation drive began in the state on January 16.

Meanwhile, Health Minister K Sudhakar stated that Karnataka has topped all the states in the country with maximum inoculations. “With 2,59,439 inoculations till 11 PM, Karnataka administered the highest number of Covid-19 vaccine doses in the entire country on Saturday,” he said in a tweet.