Delhi records 7,897 fresh Covid-19 cases, positivity rate shoots up

The Covid-19 cases in Delhi fell below the 8000-mark on Saturday as testing dipped, which means fewer people were tested as opposed to those a day before.

Delhi on Saturday recorded 7897 cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), pushing the Capital’s cumulative tally to 714,423, according to a health bulletin. The fatalities also rose sharply in the last 24 hours after 39 new deaths were recorded, the bulletin added. A total of 11,235 people have succumbed to the deadly viral infection since the pandemic began last year.

A man walking past a deserted Chandni Chowk area during a night curfew, with the Red Fort visible in the distance in New Delhi, India on Friday, April 9, 2021. (Photo by Sanchit Khanna/Hindustan Times)

The national capital reported 8521 cases of the coronavirus disease on Friday and there were 7437 infections on Thursday. On the preceding two days, the cases count had stood above 5000. Delhi witnessed the highest single-day spike to date of 8593 cases on November 11 in 2020, while on November 19, the national capital had recorded 131 Covid-19 deaths, the highest single-day fatality count so far.

The Covid-19 cases in Delhi fell below the 8000-mark on Saturday as testing dipped, which means fewer people were tested as opposed to those a day before. A total of 77,374 tests were carried out on Saturday, out of which 43,473 were RT-PCR and 33,901 were rapid antigen tests.

Despite the fewer number of tests conducted, the positivity rate in the national capital shot up to 10.21% from 7.79% recorded a day earlier, which means more people carry the viral contagion in the bracket of people tested.

In the last wave of infections mid-November last year, which was the deadliest of the four waves Delhi has seen so far, the positivity rate stood above 15 per cent.

On Thursday, the city recorded 7437 cases. On the preceding two days, the cases count had stood above 5000. Delhi witnessed the highest single-day spike to date of 8593 cases on November 11 in 2020, while on November 19, the national capital had recorded 131 Covid-19 deaths, the highest single-day fatality count so far.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has confirmed that the city-state is witnessing the fourth wave of infections, even as the rest of the country is reeling from the second wave. Kejriwal also said that a lockdown to curb the spread of the disease was not an option but warned of stricter restrictions.

More and more people continue to get affected as reflective in the containment zones which rose sharply to 5,236 in the last 24 hours. A day earlier, the containment zones stood at 4,768, according to the health bulletin.

The number of people under home isolation increased to 15,266 from 13,188 on Friday, while the number of containment zones mounted to 5,236 on Saturday from 4,768 a day before, the bulletin said.

Warning about the virulency of the disease, Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain on Wednesday said that the new cases "could cross" the last single-day spike record registered in November, given the pace of the spread of infection.