Three new COVID-19 clusters were identified by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike on Thursday in wake of a sudden spurt in cases. This is in addition to the seven existing clusters in the city. It is to be noted a building is classified as a cluster only when it has five or more active cases according to BBMP.
The first cluster which was reported on Thursday was Govardhan Residency in Vidyaranyapura (Ward no 9) where the first patient developed symptoms a week after returning from Kerala on March 1 and was tested positive on March 8. Subsequently seven residents of the building tested positive for the virus.
An official note said while all residents were advised home quarantine, one family visited Iskcon temple despite the advice to be under strict home quarantine, officials said. The family of four tested positive on March 15 upon which all the remaining residents were tested. Two more residents turned positive following the tests on March 15.
The second cluster reported from BEL Layout of the same ward. “A family had attended a marriage function on March 2. The family received information from one of the other attendees that some of the guests in the marriage function were tested positive. The family approached the Primary health Center (PHC) at Thindlu and got themselves tested. One person from the family was tested positive on March 12 and in a retest on Monday the remaining members of the family were tested positive,” the note said.
The third cluster was identified in Chikkabommasandra of Yelahanka where four more persons came out positive on Thursday after two more persons were found to have been infected on Wednesday.
As of Wednesday, Bengaluru had 7,344 active cases in the city while the city has 6,813 active cases by the end of February. The cumulative number of positive cases in the city as of Wednesday is 4,13,385 with 4,531 deaths. A total of 4,01,610 persons have recovered.