Delhi reports 20 Covid cases in last 24 hours; positivity rate at 0.04 per cent

The capital has recorded only three fatalities due to the infection in September so far.
A medic collects a swab sample (File photo | Ashishkrishna HP, EPS)
A medic collects a swab sample (File photo | Ashishkrishna HP, EPS)

NEW DELHI: The national capital reported 20 Covid cases and zero deaths on Monday, while the positivity rate stood at 0.04 per cent, according to data shared by the health department here.

The capital has recorded only three fatalities due to the infection in September so far.

With the new cases, the overall infection tally in the city climbs to 1,43,869.

Of this, over 14.13 lakh patients have recovered from the disease.

The death toll stands at 25,085.

Delhi reported 28 cases of the infection on Sunday and 41 on Saturday.

On Friday, it reported 55 Covid-19 cases and one death.

There are 379 active cases in Delhi, of which 116 are in home isolation.

The number of containment zones stands at 100, the bulletin said.

In April and May, Delhi battled a brutal second wave of the pandemic that claimed a massive number of lives and led to a shortage of oxygen at hospitals across the city.

On April 20, Delhi had reported 28,395 cases, the highest in the city since the beginning of the pandemic.

On April 22 the case positivity rate was 36.2 per cent, the highest so far.

The highest number of 448 deaths was reported on May 3.

The city government has been ramping up health infrastructure to prevent a repeat of the crisis witnessed during the peak of the second wave of coronavirus in April and May.

Steps have been taken to increase the number of hospital beds to accommodate up to 37,000 cases a day and to become self-reliant in terms of oxygen supply.

Around 7,000 ICU beds are also being added at government health care facilities in Shalimar Bagh, Kirari, Sarita Vihar, Sultanpuri, Raghuveer Nagar, and GTB Hospital and Chacha Nehru Hospital.

At present, there are 10,000 ICU beds in the capital.

Amid apprehensions of a third Covid wave in Delhi, experts suggested avoiding mass gatherings and celebrating the festivals in a scaled down manner, according to the minutes of a Delhi Disaster Management Authority meeting held last month.

At the meeting, Niti Aayog member Dr VK Paul emphasised that a narrative for celebrating festivals in a "simple manner" should be started as these events can easily reverse all the gains made in the fight against the Covid pandemic.

According to government data, 1.61 crore vaccine doses have been administered in the capital since the inoculation exercise started on January 16.

Over 1.12 crore people have received at least one dose.

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