Delhi reports 25,462 Covid cases in a day for first time, positivity rate at 30%

Delhi chief minister has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in which he described the Covid-19 situation in the city as extremely serious.

Delhi recorded an increase of over 25,000 Covid-19 cases, the highest since the beginning of the pandemic last year, on Sunday, according to health bulletin from administration. With this, the total tally has reached 853,460. The national capital also saw 161 people succumbing to the disease on the last 24 hours, the health bulletin showed, with the chief minister Arvind Kejriwal flagging the spike as a "major concern".

A healthcare worker collects a coronavirus disease (Covid-19) test swab sample from a man, at a temporary shelter for homeless people in New Delhi (Reuters File Photo )

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The surge in the number of cases has caused Delhi's positivity rate (number of samples testing positive from total samples) to reach nearly 30% from 24% just a day ago. The rapid pace at which the cases are increasing in Delhi has led to a shortage of beds for patients at hospitals in the city.

“Cases are increasing at a fast rate and Covid-19 beds are getting occupied across the city. People are getting admitted in hospitals at an unprecedented rate. There is a major crisis of ICU beds. There are less than 100 ICU beds left in Delhi. We are facing a major shortage of oxygen too,” Arvind Kejriwal said earlier in the day.

The chief minister has also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in which he described the Covid-19 situation in Delhi as extremely serious. “There is a severe shortage of Covid-19 beds and oxygen supply...We need your help. Central government hospitals in Delhi collectively have around 10,000 beds, of which 1,800 are reserved for Covid-19. In the light of the severity of the situation, I appeal to you to reserve at least 7,000 beds for Covid-19 patients. There is a severe shortage of oxygen supply too. Please arrange oxygen for Delhi,” he wrote in the letter.

Later in the evening, Arvind Kejriwal took to social media to say that Delhi’s oxygen supply has been reduced and announced that oxygen has become an emergency in the national capital. "Del facing acute shortage of oxygen. In view of sharply increasing cases, Del needs much more than normal supply. Rather than increasing supply, our normal supply has been sharply reduced and Delhi’s quota has been diverted to other states. OXYGEN HAS BECOME AN EMERGENCY IN DEL," the chief minister wrote on Twitter.

The Delhi government had also appealed for Covid care coaches at two railway stations in the city. The request was accepted within a few hours and Union minister Piyush Goyal informing about the same. The Northern Railways has deployed 50 isolation coaches, each having two oxygen cylinders, at Delhi's Shakur Basti railway station and 25 such facilities will be placed at Anand Vihar by Monday, the railways ministry said.