A race by a BBMP Covid-19 swab collection team to accumulate the highest number of samples in a single day in a Covid-hit area netted just one positive case who is said to be a serial mask violator.
The low number has been attributed to the outbreak having potentially peaked in the area, according to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).
On November 1, a team with 21-year-old swab collector Harshith N Y, a recent college graduate in one of five collection teams in the Gottigere ward, collected an astonishing 452 swabs by aggressively canvassing the densely populated Weavers’ Colony.
The positive case, a 58-year-old male, had previously been confronted by BBMP marshals for his refusal to wear masks, the Palike said.
The man who was asymptomatic has since been placed in home isolation.
A data analyst with the BBMP said that the number of positive cases had dramatically declined in the ward suggesting that “peeking” had happened.
“In October, 100 tests would net about 15 positive cases. However, from this month, about 500 tests are netting about 1-2 cases daily,” he said.
Meantime, the new collection number breaks the previous record of 400 swabs collected in a single day by volunteers in RR Nagar, sources said.
Weavers’ Colony, with a population of 25,000, is known for its densely populated streets, a high number of tradesmen and shops, where social-distancing violations are common.
According to the BBMP, the colony has been battling an ongoing Covid-19 spread.
Official data shows that the Gottigere ward has seen 151 cases in the last 14 days, out of which 65% are said to be
concentrated in Weavers’ Colony.
Harshith, who said that he lives in the colony, said that his team of seven people, including six data operators, did not know how successful they would be.
He complained of often violent resistance to testing by members of the public.
“We started early at 7.30 am in a bid to catch people early and finished at 11.30 am,” he said.
Sanjana B M, a KAS officer and a Covid-19 nodal officer in the Bommanahalli zone, said the team had set out trying to set a record and had six data operators to facilitate the rapid processing of test subjects.