No. of coronavirus cases mounts to 903 in Delhi, death toll rises to 14: Authorities

The number of coronavirus cases climbed to 903 and the death toll rose to 14 in the national capital on Friday, with 183 fresh cases and two deaths being reported in a day, according to Delhi government authorities. Of the total cases, 584 are related to a religious congregation that took place in Nizamuddin in March.

According to government officials, the number of COVID-19 hotspots in Delhi now stands at 30, where containment measures are being taken. The number stood at 25 till Thursday. The new hotspots include areas in Nabi Karim, Zakir Nagar and Chandni Mahal, the officials said.

The number of COVID-19 cases was 720 in the city on Thursday, including 12 deaths. Of the total cases, 26 have been discharged and one has migrated out of the country, authorities said.

According to the Delhi health department, 269 of the cases are people who had travelled abroad or came in contact with affected persons and 584 came from the Markaz (centre) in Nizamuddin.

Of the 183 fresh cases reported on Friday, 154 were related to the religious congregation, the department said in a statement.

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Sources said about 120 people from the Markaz are kept in a quarantine facility in the Gulabi Bagh area and 52 of them have tested positive for the dreaded virus so far.

Over 2,000 delegates, including from Indonesia and Malaysia, attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Nizamuddin West from March 1-15, officials said on Monday, as the south Delhi neighbourhood was virtually sealed earlier following fears that some people there may have contracted COVID-19.

The civic authorities have carried out mass sanitisation and a disinfection drive in Nizamuddin in the last few days, using drones and other measures.

According to the health department, of the 903 cases recorded so far, 862 are admitted at various hospitals, including LNJP Hospital, GTB Hospital, RML Hospital, Safdarjung Hospital, Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital (RGSSH) and AIIMS, Jhajjhar.

The number of COVID-19 samples sent for testing till date stands at 11,061, the department said. As many as 2,565 patients are kept in quarantine at various government facilities, it added.

As many as 23,373 people, who came in contact with affected persons, are under home quarantine and 7,119 have completed their 14-day quarantine period, the department said. 

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