Bengaluru/IBNS: The city of Bengaluru reported its first COVID-19 death on Saturday, the Karnataka Health Department said in an official statement.

The victim, an 84-year-old man, was admitted to a private hospital in Whitefield, Bengaluru, and died on May 17. He had tested positive for COVID-19, health officials confirmed on Saturday.

The man, who had multiple pre-existing health conditions, was hospitalised on May 13.

He was tested for COVID-19 when he was alive, but the report returned positive posthumously, sparking fresh concerns amid a recent spike in infections.

A total of 35 active COVID-19 cases have been reported in Karnataka so far, out of which 32 are from Bengaluru.

Earlier, a nine-month-old baby boy tested positive for COVID-19 in Bengaluru, health department officials said on Friday.

A gradual rise in cases has been observed over the past 20 days, as per the health department.

Harsh Gupta, principal secretary of the Health & Family Welfare department, said the baby tested positive via a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) on May 22.

Speaking to reporters earlier in the day, Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao urged residents to remain calm and continue with their regular routines.

“When people see headlines suggesting a COVID resurgence, they tend to panic. I want to reassure everyone that the situation is under control,” he said.

Rao appealed to the media to report responsibly and not sensationalise the rise in cases. “COVID-19 is not new. It turned into a pandemic five years ago, and now we’re equipped to deal with it. There is no need to exaggerate its severity,” he added.