NEW DELHI: Delhi recorded 11,491 COVID-19 cases on Monday, the highest single-day surge in the national capital till date, while 72 more people died due to the disease, according to data shared by the health department.
The positivity rate rose to 12.44 per cent from 9.43 per cent a day ago.
The 72 deaths are the highest since December 5 when 77 deaths were recorded.
The city had recorded 131 COVID-19 deaths on November 19, the highest single-day fatality count till date.
The cumulative coronavirus case count stands at 7,36,688, and the death toll is now 11,355, according to the latest health bulletin.
The fresh cases came out of the over 92,397 lakh tests conducted the previous day.
On Sunday, the city had reported 10,772 cases and 48 deaths.
Delhi recorded 7,897 COVID-19 cases and 39 deaths on Saturday.
The positivity rate had also mounted to 10.21 per cent, breaching the 10-per cent mark for the first time this year.
The positivity rate was above 15 per cent in mid-November last year.
On Friday, 8,521 COVID-19 cases and 39 deaths were recorded in the national capital.
This was also the first time that more than 8,000 cases were recorded in a day this year amid a massive spike in cases over the last few weeks.
On Thursday, the city recorded 7,437 cases.
On the two preceding days, the number of cases stood above 5,000.
The number of active cases rose to 38,095 from 34,341 a day before.
The number of people under home isolation increased to 19,354 from 17,093 on Sunday while the number of containment zones increased to 6,175 from 5,705, the bulletin said.
The Delhi government on Monday declared 14 private hospitals in the city as "full COVID-19" hospitals and directed them not to admit any non-COVID patients till further orders.
These include the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in Sarita Vihar, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Holy Family Hospital, and Max SS Hospital and Fortis Hospital in Shalimar Bagh.
Nineteen private hospitals have been directed to reserve at least 80 per cent of their ICU beds for COVID-related treatment.
Eighty-two private hospitals have been asked to set aside at least 60 per cent of their ICU beds for coronavirus patients, according to the order issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
"Furthermore, 101 private hospitals are directed to reserve at least 60 per cent of their ward bed capacity for COVID-related treatment," the order read.
The Health Department, in another order, said the number of ICU beds without ventilator in six Delhi government-run hospitals has been increased to 487.
There are now 1,913 non-ICU COVID beds in these hospitals as against 1,320 earlier.
The six government hospitals are Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital, Burari Hospital, DDU Hospital, Deep Chand Bandhu Hospital, Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital and Ambedkar Nagar Hospital.
The government issued another order, engaging AYUSH students currently in their fourth and fifth years as interns to meet the increased demand of manpower considering the surge in coronavirus cases.
Asserting that the COVID-19 situation in Delhi is "very serious", the chief minister had on Sunday said the government is closely monitoring the situation and is not in favour of complete lockdown.
In just a few weeks, Delhi has gone from near-normalcy -- with less than 100 cases reported on a single day on February 16 -- to an exploding pandemic, a grim reminder that the virus is continuing to extract its toll.
The CM had said his government does not want to impose lockdown in Delhi, but such a situation may arise if there is a rush to hospitals and beds are unavailable for serious patients.
The central district magistrate has requisitioned Shehnai banquet hall in front of the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital in Daryaganj, where a 120-bed COVID care facility has started functioning with nearly 23 patients being admitted there, officials said.
Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said temporary COVID care centres will be set up at different places according to need, adding sufficient beds are vacant and available in Delhi.
In order to overcome the shortage of beds, work is on to set up COVID care centres at banquet halls and similar spaces in view of the growing number of patients, a senior Delhi government official said.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal after visited the LNJP Hospital on Saturday and said the COVID centre at Shehnai banquet hall will start working soon.
The same banquet hall was converted into a COVID care centre in June 2020 as well.
"The COVID centre at Shehnai banquet has beds with oxygen supply. Doctors will keep watch on the health of patients with mild and moderate symptoms and anyone whose condition deteriorates will be shifted to LNJP hospital," said Rajat Jain, president of Doctors for You that has been looking after administration of the centre.
Various arrangements including security through CCTV cameras, medical staff, food, sanitation have been arranged at the banquet-turned-COVID care centre, he said.
Meanwhile, major temples in Delhi have decided on restricted "darshan" facilities for devotees with some of the shrines offering e-passes during the Navratri that begins on Tuesday.
During the nine-day festival, temples in Delhi, including the ones at Chattarpur, Kalkaji and Jhandewalan, are flooded with fasting devotees.
This year, however, will be different with the temples either allowing a "carefully-controlled" process of "darshan" (a glimpse of the deity) for the devotees, or remaining shut during the nine days.
The government prohibited all religious gatherings last week in view of the current situation.
To make it to the Kalkaji temple located opposite the Nehru Place business centre, the devotees will be required to download e-passes from the temple website.
This, a temple spokesperson said, would help the authorities manage the crowd.
"We will be following the social-distancing norm and all other measures in accordance with the government guidelines to ensure the safety of the visitors."
"We have requested the devotees to get COVID-19 tests done before coming to the temple and insisted that those above 60 years of age should not come. Every devotee visiting the temple also needs to carry an e-pass. All of this put together will help us control the crowd," Surendranath Avadhoot, the mahout at the temple, said.
To ensure the safety of the visitors through proper social distancing, he said people would be allowed within the temple premises only in groups of 25.
The Jhandewalan temple near Karol Bagh will remain shut during the nine- day festival.
"The number of devotees goes as high as 60,000 per day during the Navratri and under the current circumstances, we have decided to keep the temple closed in public interest.
"We have been maintaining the two-yard distance between people as instructed by the government. During the Navratri, when the number of devotees increases by multiple times, we might still be able to control those in the queue, but how would we control those who gather outside the temple? That will only lead to a mismanagement of the crowd," Kulbhushan Ahuja, general secretary, Jhandewalan temple, said.
However, for the sake of the devotees, the temple authorities will showcase the rituals on social media.
"Pujas would be performed in the temple in the morning as well as in the evening and it would be telecast on our YouTube channel," Ahuja said.
The Chattarpur temple that used to receive "lakhs of visitors" every day during Navratri before the pandemic hit the country will also remain closed.
"The temple will remain closed for the public from Tuesday till the last day of the Navratri. The puja will be performed by the priests, the only people who will be allowed inside the temple during this time," the CEO of the temple said.
"The puja proceedings will be telecast on our Youtube channel and there will also be Facebook live. The links to these can be accessed on the temple website," he added.