Delhi sees slight dip in new Covid cases but crosses 1,000-mark for third straight day

As several parts of India continues to witness a surge in the covid-19 cases, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be chairing a meeting to assess the situation with Chief Ministers on April 27.

Delhi on Sunday registered 1,083 fresh coronavirus cases and one death in the last 24 hours, the city health bulletin data shows. The positivity rate stood at 4.48 per cent. On Saturday, the national capital added 1,094 infections and two deaths. There are 107 Covid-19 patients admitted to hospitals in Delhi at present, while 2812 are recuperating in home isolation. Of the 9,379 beds available for Covid patients in various hospitals, just 107 (1.14%) are occupied, as per the data.

A patient being attended by a healthcare worker in Delhi Covid-19 care facility. (Raj K Raj/HT Photo)

The city had recorded 1,042 cases on Friday and two deaths, this came at a time when 99 per cent of all hospital beds reserved to treat covid patients were vacant.

With Sunday's tally, the total number of positive cases has now risen to more than 18.76 lakh. The total fatalities due to the virus stand at 26,167.

In the wake of rising cases, the Delhi government recently issued an order directing authorities to impose a fine of ₹500 on people not wearing masks at public places. The decision to re-introduce fines was taken at the Delhi Disaster Management Authority meeting on Thursday under lieutenant governor Anil Baijal.

Apart from the Prime Minister and senior officials of the Prime Minister's Office, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and officials from their respective Ministries are likely to attend the meeting.

The national capital has also started administering the precautionary doses to individuals between 18 and 59 years free of cost at all government vaccination centres.