The State recorded 3,851 new COVID-19 cases in the last seven days, around 750 more than the previous week. The rise has been significant in Bengaluru Urban where the number of new cases rose to 2,465 from 1,875 in the previous week.

While this increase has prompted the authorities to further intensify surveillance and step up testing, especially in the border districts, COVID-19 experts said the rising numbers are “temporary variations” and are not a cause of concern as of now.

On Saturday (March 6), there was a sudden spike when the city reported 444 cases, more than double the figure the previous day. Concerned over this, Health and Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakar had directed the BBMP to increase its daily testing from the current 30,000 to 40,000.

Travel, weddings

BBMP Commissioner N. Manjunath Prasad attributed Saturday’s sudden spike in the numbers to a backlog in testing. However, admitting that Bengaluru Urban is witnessing a gradual surge in the last one week, the Commissioner said, “This is mainly because people are becoming complacent now. Besides, movement of people from high risk States of Kerala and Maharashtra is a major reason for the increasing numbers. Also, this is the wedding season and a lot of social gatherings are happening where people are not following precautions.”

M.K. Sudharshan, chairman of the State’s COVID-19 Technical Advisory Committee, said the TAC had a detailed discussion on the rising cases. “According to mathematical modelling, the marginal rise in numbers is a temporary phenomena and not a cause of concern. We cannot say this is the beginning of a second wave as of now. However, we are keeping a watch,” Dr. Sudharshan told The Hindu on Tuesday.

Pointing out that the cluster outbreaks in the city were primarily due to inter-State arrival, he said testing, tracking and tracing has been intensified in the border districts. “Freedom from COVID-19 comes at a price. We can win over it only with appropriate behaviour, either voluntarily or by enforcement and vaccination,” he said.

V. Ravi, former senior professor and head of Neurovirology at NIMHANS who is also TAC member, said the current fluctuations in the numbers are “within acceptable limits”.

‘Acceptable limits’

Attributing the rise in Bengaluru to cluster outbreaks, Dr. Ravi, who is also the nodal officer for genomic confirmation of SARS-COV-2 in the State, said, “The surge is random. If we look at the overall picture right from March last year, we had a huge surge and the numbers reduced. This surge is within the acceptable limits and such variations keep happening.”

“The situation does not warrant panic as of now, but certainly warrants COVID-19 appropriate behaviour,” he added.