Of the 62,691 COVID-19 cases reported in Karnataka from January 1 to 11, only 6% required hospitalisation, according to data shared by the Karnataka Health Department. 93% of the COVID-19 patients were in home isolation while the remaining 1% were in COVID-Care Centres set up in the state.
The figures confirmed a trend observed in the third wave of COVID-19 cases in the state - that of a decrease in the percentage of hospitalisations among COVID-19 patients. In comparison, 30% of the 1.27 lakh cases in the fourth week of April 2021 required hospitalisation. The figures for the second week of May 2021 (22%), the fourth week of June 2021 (19%) and the first week of December 2021 (23%) were similarly higher than the figures reported in January 2022.
The decrease in hospitalisations comes at a time COVID-19 case figures continued to surge, with the state recording 28,723 fresh COVID-19 cases on Friday, January 14. This included 20,121 cases in Bengaluru.
"Hospitalisation rate in the third wave is lower than the second wave, as of now. That is no reason for complacency, please follow COVID-19 appropriate behaviour and stay safe," Karnataka Health Minister Sudhakar K stated.
The cases are doubling at a much faster rate in the third wave, the state health department said. On December 27 2021, 289 COVID-19 cases were recorded in the state. This increased to 707 in three days by December 30, to 2,479 in another five days, to 5,031 in another two days and to 12,000 in another three days. In comparison, in the second wave, COVID-19 cases doubled in 8-10 days.
Friday's case figures were recorded in 2.21 lakh COVID-19 tests conducted in the state, the highest testing in a day since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The test positivity rate (the percentage of tests that return positive among a group of people) was 12.98 % while active COVID-19 cases in the state are now 1.41 lakh.
Karnataka currently has a night curfew and a weekend curfew in place in response to the rising COVID-19 cases. The current guidelines were extended till Jan 31 earlier this week.