Delhi records 2,726 new Covid cases, six deaths; positivity rate 14.38%

Delhi on Thursday reported 2,726 fresh COVID-19 cases, the highest in nearly six and a half months, and six fatalities due to the viral disease, while the positivity rate stood at 14.38 per cent, according to data shared by the health department here.

This is the ninth consecutive day when the capital logged more than 2,000 cases in a day.

Delhi on January 31 had reported 2,779 COVID-19 cases with a positivity rate of 6.20 per cent and 38 deaths.

The city on Wednesday had reported eight fatalities due to the coronavirus infection, the highest in nearly 180 days, and 2,146 cases with a positivity rate of 17.83 per cent.

The national capital on February 13 had recorded 12 deaths due to the viral disease.

On Tuesday, Delhi had reported 2,495 coronavirus cases with a positivity rate of 15.41 per cent and seven fatalities.

The national capital saw 1,372 infections and six deaths as on Monday as the case positivity rate had risen to 17.85 per cent, the highest since January 21. On January 21, the positivity rate had stood at 18.04 per cent.

The fresh cases on Thursday came out of 18,960 COVID-19 tests, according to the latest health bulletin.

With the fresh cases and fatalities, Delhi's infection count increased to 19,78,266 and the death toll rose to 26,357, it said.

Delhi on February 1 had reported 2,683 fresh COVID-19 cases with a positivity rate of 5.09 per cent, and 27 fatalities.

The number of COVID-19 cases has seen a surge in the last two weeks or so.

More than 19,760 COVID-19 cases have been recorded in Delhi from August 1-10, according to official data shared by the city health department.

Besides, there has been a nearly 50 per cent rise in the number of containment zones in the city during this period.

A study conducted by doctors at city's LNJP Hospital on a small set of samples taken from fresh cases of COVID-19 being reported in Delhi has found that majority of these were detected with a new Omicron sub-variant.

Sources said the study involved 90 patients, and the new sub-variant is more transmissible.

The number of active COVID-19 cases in Delhi stands at 8,840, up from 8,205 the previous day. As many as 5,591 patients are in home isolation, the bulletin said.

Of the 9,408 beds reserved for COVID-19 patients in various Delhi hospitals, 562 were occupied. Beds at Covid care centres and Covid health centres were lying vacant, it said.

There are 263 containment zones in the city, it added.

Amid a spike in cases over the last week, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had on Tuesday said Covid cases were on the rise in Delhi, but there was no need to panic as most of the new cases were mild in nature.

Despite the rise in the positivity rate, the city government is not implementing the graded response action plan (GRAP) devised by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority since the hospital admissions are low.

The GRAP came into force in August last year, stipulating measures to be taken by the government in accordance with the positivity rate and bed occupancy for locking and unlocking of various activities.

The number of daily COVID-19 cases in Delhi had touched the record high of 28,867 on January 13 this year during the third wave of the pandemic.

The city had recorded a positivity rate of 30.6 per cent on January 14, the highest during the third wave of the pandemic.