Delhi records 3,548 new Covid-19 cases, over 3,000 containment zones created
The slight dip in the daily cases, down from 4,033 seen on Sunday, was seen amid reduced testing on Monday as only 64,003 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours, as opposed to 86,899 conducted a day earlier.
Delhi on Monday recorded a slight dip in daily cases of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) after 3,548 fresh infections were added to its tally, according to health department bulletin. The new cases pushed the total cases to 679,962. The fatality count also rose to 11,096 after 15 new deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours, the bulletin showed.
The slight dip in the daily cases, down from 4,033 seen on Sunday, was seen amid reduced testing on Monday as only 64,003 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours, as opposed to 86,899 conducted a day earlier.
Out of the 64,003 tests conducted, 43,960 people were tested through RT-PCR tests and 20,043 were tested via rapid antigen testing method.
The virality of infection and its spread has also surged in the last 24 hours, as indicated by the positivity rate which has crossed the 5% mark. On Sunday, the positivity rate in Delhi rose to 4.64% from 4.48% a day earlier but on Monday, it reached 5.54% - suggesting that more people are testing positive in the bracket of those being tested.
After witnessing a constant surge in cases since March, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal confirmed that the city-state is witnessing the fourth wave of infections, even as the rest of the country is reeling from the second wave.
“For the rest of the country, one may call it the second wave. But for Delhi, this is the fourth wave. We are heading towards the fourth peak. This wave is witnessing exponential increase in cases and spreading very fast. It is concerning but there is nothing to panic because this wave is also less severe in terms of number of deaths and cases that require hospitalisation, admission to ICU, etc,” Kejriwal said at a digital news briefing.
Delhi reported its first wave in June, the second in September and the third in November, which has been the worst so far, with the highest case tally of 8,593.
The rise in cases and deaths comes even as the authorities have ramped up testing and tracing the cases as a strategy to tackle the viral contagion.
Recording a further increase, active cases in Delhi were logged at 14,589 on Monday, as opposed to 13,982 from Sunday.
As the country finds itself in the grip of second wave, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to interact with chief ministers on Thursday to discuss the Covid-19 situation and the ongoing vaccination drive.
Modi's last interaction with chief ministers was on March 17 during which he had expressed concern over the rise in cases in parts of the country and called for "quick and decisive" steps to check the "emerging second peak".
