Bengaluru, Dec 26 (IANS): Karnataka has registered 1,005 new Covid cases in a day, while 1,102 recovered across the state, said the state health bulletin on Friday.

"With 1,005 new cases on Thursday, the state's Covid tally rose to 9,14,488, including 13,508 active cases, while 8,88,917 recovered till date, with 1,102 discharged in the last 24 hours," said the bulletin.

The infection claimed five lives in the day, taking the state's death toll to 12,044 since the pandemic broke on March 8.

Bengaluru recorded 578 fresh cases, taking its Covid tally to 3,85,586, including 8,819 active cases, while 3,72,479 recovered so far, with 600 in the last 24 hours.

With four patients succumbing to the virus, the city's death toll rose to 4,287.

Of the 218 patients in the intensive care units (ICUs) across the southern state, 99 are in Bengaluru hospitals, 11 in Kalaburagi, nine in Tumakuru and eight each in Hassan and Mandya districts.

Out of 98,568 tests conducted on Thursday, 8,797 were through rapid antigen and 89,771 through RT-PCR method.

"Positivity rate for the day is 1.01 per cent and case fatality rate 0.49 per cent for the state," added the bulletin.

10 UK returnees in Karnataka test Covid positive

As many as 10 passengers who returned from the UK since November 25 have tested Covid positive so far, Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Minister K. Sudhakar revealed here on Friday.

"According to information I possess, 10 people tested positive, all their samples have been sent to NIMHANS, two to three days are required for genetic sequencing... once that report is out, we will get to know whether it is the second strain, and accordingly we will follow necessary procedures for treatment," he said in response to a question at a press meet.

According to him, details relating to this second strain are still being deliberated and according to initial studies, another strain of this virus discovered in South Africa is far more severe than the one found in the UK.

"We can take action only after we get the reports of these 10 positive patients. As we get (them), we will take necessary steps. I appeal the people to have faith in the government, before taking any decision we think hundred times. Protecting the health of the people is our chief concern," he said.

The Minister had recently said that about 2,500 people have come to the state from UK since November 25 to December 22 in flights operated by Air India and British Airways, and efforts were on to trace, monitor their health and subject them to tests.

Responding to criticism against the government, the minister observed that this is the very government that has achieved a recovery rate of 97.5 per cent, and brought down fatality rate to 1.22 per cent.

"After the new variant was discovered, countries like Britain and Germany have adopted stringent measures like ordering lockdown and latter enforcing curfew. What does this indicate?" he asked.

Sudhakar added that the decision to enforce curfew after 11 p.m. was taken keeping in mind the public interest so as to ensure that normal life is not affected.

"When almost all our festivals this year were celebrated in a subdued manner, why this outrage against this night curfew as though it is necessary for youngsters to have fun or party during the new year," he said while cautioning the opposition parties that they will be responsible if anything goes wrong.

The state government had announced to enforce an eight-day night curfew amid concerns over a new Covid-19 variant spreading in the UK, but on Thursday, it finally decided to withdraw the curfew just hours before it was to be enforced.

Apparently several ministers in the cabinet took objections to the decision to enforce night curfew while the Opposition had expressed apprehensions whether it would help in containing the virus spread, considering curfew timing was between 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.