NEW DELHI: Even when the daily Covid positive count is hovering over 400-mark, Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Monday said the situation in the national capital is ‘under control’ till positivity rate is below one per cent.The minister informed that Delhi’s positivity rate was 0.6 percent, which was the lowest compared to states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Kerala and Punjab.
“There was a time when the positivity rate in Delhi had crossed 15 percent. But according to WHO guidelines, the positivity rate should be less than five percent and Delhi is continuously seeing less than three percent for the past few months. For the past two months, it is less than one percent… Till the time, it doesn’t cross one percent, I believe it is well within control. We are aware and careful. Testing capacity has been increased to 70,000 per day, and we are taking precautions from all ends,” said Jain while speaking with the media persons.
On Monday, Delhi’s daily new case tally was 368 while the number was above the 400-mark on Sunday for the fourth consecutive day.On Saturday, the city had recorded 419 new COVID-19 cases, while the positivity rate stood at 0.56 per cent, according to data shared by the health department.On Friday, 431 new cases were recorded, the highest single-day spike in over two months, while the count on Thursday was 409.Jain on Friday had said the figures of over 400 per day suddenly were ‘not alarming’, and asserted that the positivity rate was still below one per cent.On Sunday, 407 cases were reported and the positivity rate was 0.60 per cent, which is much below the one per cent-mark.
“In Maharashtra, 16,620 cases were recorded (on Sunday) with a positivity rate of 16.46 per cent, in Kerala, the figures were 1,792 with 3.54 per cent positivity rate. In Punjab, it was 1,492 cases with 4.81 per cent, and in Gujarat, it was 810 cases with 1.78 percent positivity rate. But in Delhi, it was 407 cases with 0.60 per cent positivity rate,” he added.
He added that the coronavirus is a recurring infection and is not going to completely vanish. “People have to be careful. The one thing that we have learnt in the past 1 year is that if we wear a mask, safety is supreme. Whenever stepping out in public, make sure you’re wearing a mask, and following social distancing. Including people who’ve gotten vaccinated need to continue taking these precautions,” he said.
North Delhi mayor, actor get vaccinated
North Delhi Mayor Jai Prakash said he received his first shot of the anti-Covid vaccine on Monday and appealed to people to also get the jab to combat the coronavirus pandemic. “I got my first jab of Covid-19 vaccine today. Actor Dalip Tahil accompanied me to send out a message on behalf of the NDMC to eligible people to come out and get vaccinated. He got his jab and returned to Mumbai,” he said