Key COVID-19 indicators have continued to improve in Bengaluru a week after the Karnataka government introduced substantial lockdown relaxations for the first time since the onset of the devastating second wave of the pandemic. The government allowed relaxation from 5am- 9pm from July 4 after weeks of graded unlocking since mid-June. According to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, the number of positive cases, COVID-19 deaths, case fatality rate and positivity rate have all continued to drop, on a week on week basis. Even the total number of patients admitted to hospitals for COVID-19 treatment has come down.
However, officials and experts have warned that the gains of the lockdown will be lost if the public fails to adhere to COVID-19 appropriate behaviour. What worries officials more is that while cases have come down, the average daily vaccination rate has also dropped for the city. Till July 11, Bengaluru Urban district as a whole has seen a vaccine coverage of 74.04%.
According to BBMP War Room Data, the number of cases recorded in the week-ending July 10 is 3,717 compared to 4,231 cases registered over the previous week. While the positivity rate was 1.83% for the week ending July 10, the same for the week ending July 3 was 2.06%. Positivity rate is a measure of the number of positive cases detected per 100 tests.
Similarly, the number of deaths and case fatality rate (CFR) recorded in the week ending July 10 was 68 (0.86%) compared to 87 (0.94%) registered in the previous week. CFR is the measure of deaths per 100 positive cases. In terms of hospital admissions, 281 persons were admitted in the week ending July 10 compared to 399 persons who needed hospital admission in the previous week.
However, as stated earlier, the number of vaccine doses administered in the city have decreased on a week on week basis. Compared to the 5,41,494 vaccine doses given in the previous week, 5,17,132 doses were administered in the week ending July 10.
Speaking with TNM, Dr CN Manjunath, who is part of the state-level Technical Advisory Committee, warned that restrictions should be followed at least till December by when two doses of vaccines are likely to be administered to most of the adult population. “The decrease in cases due to the relaxations can be felt only after 2-3 weeks. Following physical distancing and mask norms is of utmost importance in this unlocking phase. Otherwise, we will face a massive third wave," he warns.
Dr Manjunath further added that authorities have to keep a close eye on the status of neighbouring Maharashtra and Kerala. “As has been the case both in the first and second wave, within 3-4 weeks of a surge in neighbouring states, we also experience a peak surge. We fear the third wave will hit us in October-November,” he added.
Similarly, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Commissioner Gaurav Gupta said, “Unlocking does not mean anyone can freely walk around and make crowds. Individuals should wear masks and maintain physical distancing. We have not allowed establishments to allow public without wearing masks and we are penalizing persons who are violating COVID Appropriate Behaviour.” He added, “We reiterate that it is only by maintaining these protocols that we will be able to tackle the expected third wave. We are continuously urging the citizens to stay safe."