Bengaluru, Jan 15 (IANS): For the first time since the pandemic broke out in Karnataka on March 8, new Covid cases dipped below 500 to register 408 in a day, while 564 were discharged in the last 24 hours, said the state health bulletin on Thursday.

"With 408 new cases on Wednesday, the state's Covid tally rose to 9,29,960, including 8,728 active cases, while recoveries increased to 9,09,058 till date, with 564 patients discharged on Thursday," said the bulletin.

Not a single death was reported across the southern state except in Bengaluru, where only three patients succumbed to the infection during the day, taking the city's death toll to 4,355.

Fresh cases in Bengaluru also dipped for the first time below 200 to 141 on Wednesday, taking its Covid tally to 3,93,814, including 5,561 active cases, while 3,83,897 recovered till date, with 255 discharged in the day.

Of 187 patients in the intensive care units (ICUs) across the state, 84 are in Bengaluru and 15 in Kalaburagi district in the state's northern region.

Out of 1,06,255 tests conducted during the day, 1,623 were through rapid-antigen detection and 1,04,632 through RT-PCR method.

"Positivity rate for the day dipped to 0.38 per cent and case fatality rate was 0.73 per cent across the state," added the bulletin.