As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the state, Karnataka health minister B. Sriramulu on Wednesday said only divine help could save the state from the onslaught of the virus.

Responding to questions raised over the state government’s tackling of the crisis, Sriramulu said, “Only God can save us, and we have to bring in caution on our own.”

The number of cases are going to double in two months, he said. Bengaluru has 17,051 active cases; Karnataka, 27,853.

Nearly 850 people have died due to covid-19 across the state of which 378 are in Bengaluru.

Karnataka now accounts for higher number of cases than Gujarat.

The state earlier hogged the limelight for tacking the situation smartly with the use of technology. However, now Karnataka is struggling to provide beds.

The B.S. Yediyurappa-led state government has imposed a week-long lockdown in its capital Bengaluru to contain the spread of the virus.

In another development, Minister for Tourism, Kannada and Culture in Karnataka C T Ravi, who is also District-in-Charge Minister of Chikkamagaluru, joined the list of high-profile politicians who have tested positive for Covid-19. His wife and daughter have however, tested negative for the virus.