Delhi on Thursday reported a fresh surge in Covid-19 cases with 325 new infections, the highest single-day jump in cases in 40 days, taking the positivity rate to rise to 2.39 per cent, according to state health department data. The Covid-19 positivity rate jumped from 0.5 per cent to 2.39 per cent in a week as doctors reassured against “a panic situation” citing low daily count while warning against staying vigilant and follow all Covid-appropriate behaviours.
The daily spike of 325 cases on Thursday saw a marked rise from 137 cases reported on Monday, according to the health department. The department did not issue a bulletin on Tuesday.
On Monday, the positivity rate was 2.7 per cent — the highest in two months. It was 2.87 per cent on February 5. With an uptick in daily cases and a significant rise in the positivity rate over the last few days, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Monday said the city government is keeping a watchful eye on the Covid situation and there is no reason to worry until a new variant of concern of the virus is detected.
The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) will hold a meeting on April 20 to discuss measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the city, officials said on Thursday. “The Delhi Disaster Management Authority’s meeting is scheduled to be held on Wednesday next week under the chairmanship of the Lt Governor. It will discuss the prevailing Covid situation, including the recent rise in the number of cases,” a senior Delhi government official said.
Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the Delhi government is keeping an eye on the COVID-19 situation and there is no need to panic since hospitalisations are low. His deputy Manish Sisodia said the government will soon issue guidelines for schools in view of the slight rise in COVID-19 cases.
There have been reports of some schoolchildren testing positive for COVID-19 in Delhi and the National Capital Region.
Delhi’s COVID-19 tally and the death toll due to the disease stood at 18,67,206 and 26,158 respectively on Thursday, according to the latest health bulletin. The national capital had reported 141 cases and one death due to the disease on Sunday, while the positivity rate was 1.29 per cent.
It saw 160 Covid cases with a positivity rate of 1.55 per cent on Saturday. On Friday, the city had reported 146 cases with a positivity rate of 1.39 per cent and one death.
The number of daily Covid cases in Delhi had touched the record high of 28,867 on January 13, during the third wave of the pandemic. The city had recorded a positivity rate of 30.6 per cent on January 14, the highest during the third wave of the pandemic, which was largely driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
A total of 574 Covid patients are in home isolation, a marked rise from 504 the previous day, the bulletin stated. There are 9,745 beds for Covid patients in Delhi’s hospitals and 48 (0.49 per cent) of those are occupied, it added.
(With inputs from PTI)
Read all the Latest News , Breaking News and IPL 2022 Live Updates here.