NEW DELHI: Delhi on Friday recorded 27,561 fresh Covid-19 cases along with 34 deaths. While the number of fresh cases were 15.5% lower than the previous day, the test positivity rate stood at 30.64%, highest since May 1 last year when it was 31.6%.
According to health department officials, the positivity rate is expected to rise in the coming days after the new guidelines instructing that only symptomatic patients will be tested. But the number of fresh cases are expected to go down, they asserted.
“Now the seriousness of the situation should be measured with the number of patients admitted in hospitals and not on testing or positivity rate,” said an official. “The more the number of patients in ICU and on ventilator support, the worse the situation will be.”
Friday’s data reflected a slight rise in hospitalisations with a total of 2,529 patients admitted. As many as 815 patients are on oxygen support, including 99 on ventilators. On Thursday, a total of 2,424 Covid beds were occupied in hospitals. Of these, 628 patients were on ICU beds, 768 on Ooygen support and 98 on ventilators.
Doctors at Delhi government’s Lok Nayak Hospital said many of the patients who lost their lives in the ongoing wave had not taken the vaccine due to fear and hesitancy. Many of them were from other states including Uttar Pradesh.
Several of the deceased were destitutes picked up by police and admitted to the hospital. “They had many comorbid conditions and were not vaccinated as well,” said Dr Ritu Saxena, Deputy Medical Director, Lok Nayak Hospital.
According to Delhi’s health minister Satyendra Jain, the non-vaccinated account ed for 75% of deaths in Delhi and 90 per cent of the deaths occurred as a result of co-morbidity, as per the data.
While doctors and health officials claim that the pandemic will peak between January 15 and 20 in Delhi, the number of patients in e isolation are increasing every day. A total of 64,831 were recorded to be in home isolation on Friday.