Covid: One more death, 28 new cases in Delhi; positivity rate 0.04 pc

Delhi recorded one more COVID-19 death and 28 fresh cases on Thursday with a positivity rate of 0.04 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department.

This is the second Covid-related fatality reported this month, the earlier being on September 7, as per official figures.  Zero death was also recorded on July 18, July 24, July 29, August 2, August 4, August 8, August 11, August 12, August 13, August 16,  August 20, August 21, August 22, August 23 and August 24, August 26, August 27, August 28 and August 29, according to official data.

The death toll due to the coronavirus in Delhi has increased to 25,084, according to the latest health bulletin.

On March 2 this year, the national capital had reported zero death due to the virus. On that day, the number of single-day infections stood at 217 with a positivity rate of 0.33 per cent.

On Thursday, 28 cases were recorded with a positivity rate of 0.04 per cent, according to the bulletin.

On Wednesday, 57 cases were logged with a positivity rate of 0.08 per cent, according to official data.

A total of 72,481 tests, including 49,734 RT-PCR tests and 22,747 rapid antigen tests, were conducted a day ago, the bulletin said.

Daily cases count had dropped to 17 on September 13, with no death being recorded, while the positivity rate stood at 0.04 per cent, according to official figures.

The number of cumulative cases on Thursday stood at 14,38,373. Over 14.12 lakh patients have recovered from the virus.

Despite a fall in daily cases in the last several days, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had recently cautioned that the chances of the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic were quite real, and asserted that his government was preparing on a "war-footing" to combat it.

Delhi had been reeling under a brutal second wave of the pandemic, claiming a massive number of lives daily, and the oxygen supply shortage issue at various hospitals had added to the woes.

Since April 19, both daily cases and single-day deaths count had been spiralling up, with over 28,000 cases and 277 deaths recorded on April 20; rising to 30 fatalities on April 22. On May 3, the city registered a record 448 deaths, according to official data.

However, the number of cases have shown a downward trend and the positivity rate too has been shrinking in the last several weeks.  Delhi Health Minister Saturdar Jain recently had said that medical infrastructure was being ramped up and 37,000 beds dedicated for COVID-19 patients were being set up to tackle the anticipated third wave of the pandemic in the national capital.

The number of active cases increased to 409 on Thursday from 404 a day before, as per the bulletin.

The number of people under home isolation was 110 on Thursday while it was 95 a day before, and the number of containment zones slightly rose to 94 on Thursday from 93 on Wednesday, the bulletin said.