NEW DELHI: With 1,515 cases of coronavirus reported in the past 24 hours, the national capital is once again heading towards another surge of infections. This is the highest number of cases since December 16 when 1,547 people tested positive for the virus. The number of active cases has surpassed the 5000 mark, as per daily health bulletin.
So is Delhi going the Maharashtra-way? “There will be a huge surge, cases will increase now for the time being but the situation won’t be as grave as it was in November. Considering the figures of infection, the fatality count is still low in Maharashtra so it can be assumed that the mutant may not be that grave. Also the virus so far as observed is infecting new people, re-infection cases are not much,” said Dr Jugal Kishore, HoD of community medicine at Safdarjung Hospital.
The Union Health Ministry on Wednesday rang alarm bells with declaration that a new ‘double mutant’ variant, which was first detected in Maharashtra’s Nagpur in December, has now spread to 18 states.
“It is the pattern of a virus. It takes around three months to turn into a super spreader. The same had happened in the UK as well, the second wave emerged three months after the local variant was identified. So the best way is to vaccinate as many people possible, the process needs to speed up,” stated Dr Ajeet Jain, Nodal Officer for Covid at Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital.
Dr Kishore, however, mentioned that it is important to establish the variant existing in Delhi at first. “Also borders are open, people are now moving more, everyday people are arriving from parts of Maharashtra and so similar viruses also exist in the city.
Another reason is with pandemic going to very low level and the arrival of vaccines, people flaunted all rules and without precautions moving out,” he mentioned. The Delhi government, meanwhile, has started conducting random testing to arrest the growth of virus. The total number of people infected stands at 6,52,742. The death count has reached 10,978, with a single-day addition of five.