Cases of the novel coronavirus are increasing in Bengaluru at an alarming rate. The city which had almost controlled the spread of the contagious virus at one point is currently finding it difficult to reduce the count of new cases on a daily basis. In the wake of several reports of patients being denied beds at hospitals in Bengaluru, Karnataka medical education minister K Sudhakar has issued a clarification.

Sudhakar said at least 78% of the total beds in private hospitals in Bengaluru are currently vacant for COVID-19 patients. The Karnataka government has reserved 3,331 beds across different private hospitals in Bengaluru out of which only 733 beds have been occupied so far by the patients till Saturday. Sudhakar assured that the healthcare infrastructure in the state has not been overburdened yet.

"78% (2,598 beds) are vacant,” Sudhakar said. The Karnataka government has been working hard to curb the spread of the virus in the state. Karnataka government has also announced a 36-hour lockdown in Bengaluru on Sunday after the city recorded a massive spike in the number of positive cases. The government is also planning to launch a software to manage allotment of beds in the city.

Patients have been finding it difficult to avail beds at different hospitals in the city. With the help of the app, they will be able to reach the right hospitals and get treatment without much hassle. Apart from private hospitals, almost 50% of beds at COVID Care Centres (CCC) in Bengaluru are also vacant. Patients with mild or no symptoms are being treated at CCCs.

Bengaluru has so far recorded over 14,200 cases of COVID-19. Several hospitals in the city have also reported a shortage of staff as doctors and nurses are quitting over the fear of catching the infection due to poor protective gear. Karnataka has so far recorded more than 23,400 cases of the novel coronavirus out of which over 9,000 people have recovered and have been discharged from hospitals.