Covid: Delhi records 40 new cases, zero death; positivity rate 0.07 pc

New Delhi, Oct 23 (PTI) Delhi recorded zero death due to COVID-19 and 40 fresh cases on Saturday with a positivity rate of 0.07 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department here.

Only five Covid-related fatalities were reported last month, one each on September 7, 16 and 17, and two on September 28, according to official figures.

Four fatalities due to Covid have been recorded so far this month in Delhi, on October 2, 10, 19 and 22, according to official data.

The death toll due to the coronavirus infection in Delhi stands at 25,091.

On Saturday, 40 cases were recorded with a positivity rate of 0.07 per cent, according to the latest health bulletin.

On Friday, 38 cases were recorded with a positivity rate of 0.07 per cent, aaccording to official data.

On Thursday, 22 cases were recorded with a positivity rate of 0.05 per cent.  The number of cumulative cases on Saturday stands at 14,39,566. Over 14.14 lakh patients have recovered from the virus.

A total of 61,152 tests --  44,836 RT-PCR and 16,316 rapid antigen -- were conducted a day ago, the bulletin said.

On Monday, 15 cases were recorded with a positivity rate of 0.03 per cent. This was the lowest daily cases count since March 28 last year when nine cases were logged, according to official data.

The daily case count had dropped to 17 on September 13, with no death being recorded on that day, while the positivity rate stood at 0.04 per cent, according to official figures.  Despite 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, while asserting 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 earlier 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 306 fatalities on April 22. On May 3, the city registered a record 448 deaths, as per the 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 Satyendar 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 decreased to 334 on Saturday from 340 a day before, according to the bulletin.

The number of people under home isolation were 98 on Saturday, while it was 102 a day before, and the number of containment zones stood at 93, as was on Friday, the bulletin said. PTI KND TDS TDS