Delhi records 3,235 new cases of Covid with 95 deaths per day, according to government data. (File)
New Delhi:
Delhi has registered 3,235 new cases of COVID-19 and 95 deaths from the coronavirus disease in the past 24 hours, according to state government data.
Infections in the nation’s capital in the past 24 hours were almost half of the average of 7,000 daily cases last week. They were detected with just 21,098 tests – a third of the 60,000 tests usually performed per day in Delhi since its second wave in September.
Although the drop in testing was attributed to staff shortages due to Diwali, it also led to speculation about the actual number of new cases when the positivity rate rose to 15.33%.
The figures, which are typically released around 10 p.m. daily, were released just ahead of an urgent meeting with Home Secretary Amit Shah today as the coronavirus spike continues unabated in the nation’s capital. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will likely attend this meeting.
Mr Shah and Mr Kejriwal have met at least twice in recent months to discuss the coronavirus situation in the nation’s capital and the Home Secretary intervened when the nation’s capital saw its first peak.
Sources said Mr Shah is concerned about the steady rise in Covid cases in Delhi, which is experiencing a third wave of infections, which is bringing the availability of intensive care beds with respiratory assistance to an all-time high.
Given the increase in the number of Covid patients with severe symptoms, the High Court had recently authorized the Delhi government to reserve 80% of beds in intensive care units at 33 private hospitals for coronavirus cases.
Delhi’s daily Covid chart had started its ascent 12 days ago. On November 3, the city reported a 24-hour increase of 6,725 cases after a few weeks of low numbers. On November 6, he crossed the 7,000 mark. A week later, on November 11, he crossed the 8,000 mark, registering 8,593 cases, a record high for the city.
Delhi is expected to experience an average of 15,000 cases per day, double the current number of cases, according to an expert report released by the central government.
So far, the total number of coronavirus cases in Delhi stands at 4,85,405, with 7,614 total deaths and 39,990 active cases. So far, more than 4.3 lakh in the city have recovered from COVID-19.
