Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj visits the LNJP Hospital amid a sudden spurt in Covid cases in the national capital, in New Delhi, Monday, April 3, 2023.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Delhi’s COVID-19 positivity rate breached the 25% mark on April 5 as the city recorded 509 fresh cases in a single day.
The positivity rate stood at 26.54%, highest in nearly 15 months, while no new fatalities were logged.
It was in January last year that the positivity rate has touched the 30% mark.
Delhi had recorded 521 cases on April 4, the highest single-day rise since August 27 last year, and one fatality, according to data shared by the city health department.
The positivity rate stood at 15.64%.
The city had recorded 573 positive cases on August 27 last year with a positivity rate of 3.62% along with five deaths.
The city’s COVID-19 death toll remains at 26,533.
With the fresh cases, the city”s infection tally has increased to 20,12,064. The data showed that 1,918 Covid tests were conducted on April 4.
Delhi has witnessed an increase in the number of fresh Covid cases over the last few days amid a sharp rise in the figure of H3N2 influenza cases in the country.
The Delhi government is keeping an eye on the spurt in Covid cases in the national capital and is “prepared to face any eventuality”, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said on March 31.
Addressing reporters after chairing a review meeting on the Covid situation, Mr. Kejriwal had said there was no need to worry for now and that the city government was taking all required steps.
Delhi recorded 293 fresh cases on April 3 with the positivity rate rising to 18.53%, which meant nearly one out of every five people tested turned out to be positive.
Delhi saw 429 Covid cases on April 2, with a positivity rate of 16.09%, and one death.
It logged 416 cases on April 1 with a positivity rate of 14.37%.
The city recorded 295 coronavirus cases on March 30 with a positivity rate of 12.48%. On March 29, the national capital logged 300 cases and two deaths, while the positivity rate was 13.89%.
The number of fresh cases had seen a decline in the last few months in Delhi, and it had dropped to zero on January 16, the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic.
Nearly 120 of the 7,989 beds are occupied in dedicated Covid hospitals in the city, while 1,174 patients are in home isolation, the health department said.
The number of active cases of the infection currently stands at 1,795, it added.
Amid a gradual increase in the number of Covid cases in Delhi, medical experts say the new XBB.1.16 variant of the virus could be driving the surge.
However, they maintain that there is no need to panic and people should follow Covid-appropriate behaviour and get booster shots of the vaccines. They also say this rise in the number of cases could be a result of more people getting themselves tested for Covid as a precaution when they actually get infected with the influenza virus and develop fever and related symptoms.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has said the rise in the number of influenza cases is due to the Influenza A sub-type H3N2 virus. The H3N2 virus is leading to more hospitalisation than the other sub-types. The symptoms include runny nose, persistent cough and fever.
