Delhi reports 102 fresh Covid cases, one fatality; positivity rate at 0.2 pc

The national capital on Tuesday reported 102 fresh COVID-19 cases and one fatality, while the positivity rate stood at 0.20 per cent, according to data shared by the Delhi health department.

On Sunday, the city had reported 107 cases, its highest daily rise since June 25, and one death with a positivity rate of 0.17 per cent. On June 25, Delhi had logged 115 coronavirus cases and four deaths, according to Delhi government data.

With the fresh COVID-19 cases, Delhi's tally has increased to 14,42,390. Over 14.16 lakh people have recovered from the disease, the department said in a bulletin.

The death toll due to COVID-19 stands at 25,102, it said.

Delhi has recorded four deaths due to the viral disease so far in December. Seven deaths were reported in November, four in October and five in September.

The city reported 91 cases on Monday at a positivity rate of 0.20 per cent, 107 cases on Sunday at a positivity rate of 0.17 per cent, 86 cases on Saturday and 69 on Friday with a positivity rate of 0.13 per cent and 0.12 per cent, respectively.

The rise in daily cases comes amid an Omicron scare in Delhi.

A total of 51,544 Covid tests, including 45,429 RT-PCR tests, were conducted in the city on the previous day, the bulletin stated.

There are 557 active cases, up from 531 on Monday, it stated.

The number of people in home isolation stands at 262, up from 243 on Monday, the bulletin said.

The active case count crossed the 500-mark after over four months on Sunday. The national capital had 513 active cases on August 15.

The number of containment zones in the city stands at 173, up from 163 on Monday, the bulletin said.

On Monday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said all samples that test positive for COVID-19 will now be sent for genome sequencing.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) during which the Omicron situation, including its possible effects and steps to deal with it, was discussed, according to the chief minister.

He also urged the Centre to allow the administration of booster shots to the fully vaccinated city residents.

"About 99 per cent of our eligible population has received the first dose and about 70 per cent has been vaccinated with both doses," he had said.

Kejriwal also said the home isolation system will be strengthened in Delhi as according to experts the Omicron variant only causes mild symptoms.

He said the government has made adequate arrangements for hospital beds, oxygen, medicines and everything else that may be needed to combat the virus.

"We will not let the people of Delhi face any difficulty in their treatment," he added.

The chief minister held a meeting on November 30 to review preparations to tackle a possible third wave of coronavirus and the spread of the Omicron variant.

It has been assessed that 30,000 Covid beds are ready in Delhi.

The government will be able to arrange 100 beds per ward on a two-week notice, which will take the total bed capacity in Delhi to over 64,000, according to an official statement.

Additionally, 6,800 ICU beds will also be ready very soon. Medicine stocks are currently being added and home isolation arrangements are being strengthened, the government statement said.