In charts: Bengaluru fares better than most global cities in coronavirus pandemic

Nearly half of those who were infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus in Bengaluru have recovered so far.

Coronavirus Coronavirus

Bengaluru has reported 76 cases of COVID-19 so far, with five new cases being reported in the city on Thursday. Thirty-five people out of the 76 total cases have been recovered and discharged so far, as per data put out by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).

A 66-year-old man who was on ventilator support at the city’s Victoria Hospital since April 10 succumbed to the disease on Wednesday. This takes the number of deaths in Bengaluru to three.

The city, however, appears to be faring well in containing the spread of the novel coronavirus compared to other major cities of the world and in India. As of 3 pm on April 15, New York reported 2,03,377 cases, Hubei province in China, where Wuhan is located, recorded 67,803 cases, Madrid in Spain has seen 48,048 cases and in India, New Delhi has 1,516 cases, Mumbai has reported 1,756 cases and Chennai has reported 214 cases.

Compared to the huge caseloads in other cities, Bengaluru has seen a handful of COVID-19 patients every day since March 9 when the city detected its first case. As of April 15, the maximum number of positive cases Bengaluru has reported on a single day has been eight on March 24. However, it is important to note that at 184 per million population, Karnataka’s testing rate is below the national average of 192 per million population. There is no data available for the number of persons tested in Bengaluru.

Recoveries

Nearly half of those who were infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus in Bengaluru have recovered so far. According to official data, 35 out of 71 patients have made recoveries as of April 15.

Data shows that most of the individuals who have fallen sick are young. A majority of the cases in Bengaluru are in the age bracket of 20-29 with 20 individuals falling sick due to the COVID-19 disease. More than half of them have recovered so far.

Twelve individuals belonged to the 30 to 39 age bracket, while there were 11 patients each in the 40-49 age group and the 50-59 bracket.

Only 11 patients or 15.49% are senior citizens (60+). However, while four persons belonging to the 60-69 age group have made recoveries, all three deaths Bengaluru has recorded as of April 16 are senior citizens.

BBMP’s data shows that 65% of the COVID-19 patients in Bengaluru are male. As far as recoveries go, 15 women (43%) have recovered out of the 25 who have been infected so far, while 20 men (67%) have made a recovery.

Source of infection

As far as the main causes of transmission of COVID-19 in Bengaluru go, BBMP data shows that 34 patients (48%) have relevant travel history to a COVID-19 affected country.

Data shows that 18 people (25%) were primary contacts of a confirmed COVID-19 case. One person (2%) who tested positive had travel history and contact history. Seven people (10%) were those who attended the Tablighi Jamaat meeting in Delhi. 10 patients, which is 14% of the total, were SARI patients who later tested positive for COVID-19. One health worker (1%) has been infected with COVID-19.

The number of quarantined people has also been reducing, shows data. After touching a peak of 1902 persons in quarantine on March 26, the number has reduced since then.

There are currently 34 hotspots in the city overall, with 9 hotspots each in East and South Bengaluru.