Over 3000 COVID-19 positive patients 'untraceable' in Bengaluru amid huge spike

A search is underway in the city to trace the virus-infected patients, authorities said.

The number of untraceable patients accounts for almost 7 per cent of the city's total tally.

The total cases of the contagion in the city have gone up by nearly 27,000 in the last 14 days from about 16,000.

Almost half of the cases in Karnataka have been reported from Bengaluru itself.

"We could trace some of the positive patients with the help of police but 3,338 are still untraceable. Some of them provided wrong mobile number and address at the time of giving samples. They disappeared after getting positive results," N Manjunath Prasad, commissioner of the city's civic body Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). was quoted as saying by media.

It is still not known if the COVID-19 positive patients, who are missing, have isolated themselves.

Authorities have decided to ask for government-issued identity cards and verify mobile numbers before collecting samples for coronavirus tests.

Meanwhile, Karnataka's total cases crossed over 90,000. Bengaluru alone reported 2,036 new cases taking its overall tally to 43,503.

In the last 24 hours, 72 people died of the virus in the state, including 30 from Bengaluru. The state's death count has reached 1,796.

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