Delhi reports record 348 Covid-19 deaths, 24,331 cases

As many as 980,679 people have been affected by Covid-19 and 13,541 have succumbed to the viral disease in Delhi, one of India's worst hit cities.

Delhi reported 348 Covid-19 deaths, in the highest-ever daily jump in fatalities, 24,331 new cases of the coronavirus disease, and 23,572 recoveries in the last 24 hours, the health bulletin showed on Friday. According to the bulletin, 980,679 people have been affected by and 13,541 have succumbed to the coronavirus disease in the Capital, one of India's worst hit cities, which has imposed a lockdown in an attempt to stem the transmission of the surging infections. The national capital on Thursday registered 26,169 Covid-19 cases and 306 related deaths.

A healthcare worker pushes a trolley holding an oxygen tank at a temporary hospital for Covid-19 patients at a stadium in New Delhi, (Bloomberg)

There are 92,029 active cases of the coronavirus disease and 875,109 Covid-19 patients have recovered so far, according to the bulletin. The Capital’s cumulative positivity rate—the proportion of samples returning positive for Covid-19—was at 5.9 per cent and the case fatality rate was at 1.38 per cent, the bulletin showed.

Also watch | PM Modi rebukes Kejriwal during Covid meeting; Delhi CM raises oxygen crisis

Several hospitals, including Shanti Mukand in the west Delhi and Max Hospitals, have reported a dire shortage of oxygen—essential for critical Covid-19 patients—with chief minister Arvind Kejriwal raising the issue in a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Kejriwal sounded an alarm, saying a "big tragedy" may happen due to oxygen shortage in hospitals as the Capital reported record cases and deaths in the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

"People in major pain due to oxygen shortage. We fear a big tragedy may happen due to oxygen shortage and we will never be able to forgive ourselves. Despite being a CM, I am not able to help the people of Delhi. I request you with folded hands to direct all CMs to ensure smooth movement of oxygen tankers coming to Delhi," the Delhi chief minister said during the meeting. "We need a national plan to deal with the crisis. The central government should take over all oxygen plants through the army and every tanker coming out of the oxygen plant should be accompanied by an army escort vehicle," he said.

Authorities have conducted 16631245 tests to detect the coronavirus disease, including 43,711 RTPCR/CBNAAT/True Nat tests and 31,326 Rapid Antigen Test in last 24 hours. As many as 67,424 people were vaccinated against Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, which have pushed the cumulative figure to 2,844,055. There are 23,561 containment zones in the city.

India recorded 332,730 Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, the highest single-day spike since the pandemic broke out last year, which have pushed the country’s infection tally to over 16.2 million.