Fourth Covid death reported in state amid rising cases

Karnataka recorded its fourth Covid-related death of the year on Saturday after a 63-year-old man with underlying health conditions succumbed in Bengaluru, bringing renewed attention to the state’s ongoing battle with a modest surge in infections.

According to the health department, the deceased was being treated for oral cancer and tuberculosis. He had been admitted to a private hospital in the city on May 21 with complaints of general weakness and was undergoing chemotherapy. He died on May 29 due to a jugular vein thrombosis and cancer-associated weight loss, with Covid detected incidentally.

The state’s active Covid caseload stood at 238 as of Saturday. In the preceding 24 hours, 58 new cases were reported while 53 patients were discharged. Since the beginning of 2025, Karnataka has logged 425 total cases, including 183 recoveries and four fatalities.

Testing levels remain steady, with 420 samples examined in the last day — comprising 354 RT-PCR and 66 Rapid Antigen Tests — and a positivity rate of 13.8%. The case fatality rate currently stands at 1.7%, according to official data.

Hospital admissions remain limited. Thirteen Covid-positive individuals are undergoing treatment, including one in the ICU of a private hospital. The rest are on isolation beds across both government and private facilities. The majority of patients — 225 — are recovering in home isolation.

Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao addressed the situation, reassuring the public that the numbers do not warrant panic. “The current position does not require panic or restrictions. Officials and experts are monitoring continuously. Further decisions will be taken in consultation with the Centre,” he said.

The government has stepped up its medical inventory, ensuring the availability of 2,500 rapid antigen test kits, 1.3 lakh RNA extraction kits, 5,000 RT-PCR kits, and two lakh viral transport medium (VTM) kits. An additional 5,000 RT-PCR kits are also being procured to support continued testing over the next month.

Weekly meetings of the state’s technical advisory committee have been mandated to track trends and respond to developments. On the possibility of imposing travel restrictions amid rising cases in neighbouring Kerala, the minister clarified that no such move is under consideration. “Such measures, if at all needed, will be decided by the Centre after inputs from the state,” he said.