Delhi’s Covid positivity rate highest since June at 0.14%

Delhi logged 32 fresh infections on Friday on the back of 22,603 tests, at a test positivity rate — the percentage of samples tested that return positive for Covid-19 – of 0.14%, the highest since June 29 this year, when the statistic hit 0.15%

The Covid-19 test positivity rate in Delhi rocketed past the 0.10% mark for the first time since end-June this year, according to the state’s daily health bulletin released on Friday evening, a rise possibly fuelled by a drop in tests owing to Diwali.

Delhi logged 32 fresh infections on Friday. (AFP)

Delhi logged 32 fresh infections on Friday on the back of 22,603 tests, at a test positivity rate — the percentage of samples tested that return positive for Covid-19 – of 0.14%, the highest since June 29 this year, when the statistic hit 0.15%.

This number is double the average test positivity rate of 0.07%, for the previous seven days.

To be sure, tests fell to nearly a year-long low due to Diwali, with a large number of testing centres shut. Delhi last conducted fewer tests on November 15, 2020, incidentally also a day after Diwali that year. This drop in testing likely contributed to the positivity rate spike.

The daily health bulletin collects data for the previous 24 hours, so Friday’s bulletin corresponds to Thursday’s numbers.

Till Thursday, the positivity rate had been below 0.10% for 31 days on the trot. It has now been below 1% for 159 days, and below 5% for 169, according to the state government’s numbers.

Delhi’s Covid-19 caseload has been at record lows for months now, after a brutal fourth wave of infections between April and May this year that left over 13,200 dead. The city’s sixth serological survey — conducted in the last week of September — showed an antibody-prevalence of 97%, a number that experts attributed to the spread fourth wave and the impact of a strong inoculation programme.

“It is not a cause of concern yet, but we have to remain alert and monitor the situation closely. There is anyway a possibility that the number of cases might go up after the festivities, but we have to ensure that we continue conducting a high level of tests and take action as soon as the cases start increasing,” said Dr Lalit Kant, former head of the department of epidemiology at the Indian Council of Medical Research.

Speaking about the seropositivity of 97% found in the latest round of sero surveillance in Delhi, he said, “The sero positivity only indicates that a high proportion of the population has been expsed to the infection and have developed some antibodoes. Now, we do not get to know whether these are neutralising antibodies that protect against another infection. Also many people might have developed antibodies through vaccination and we know that these go down over time.”

He added, “The rest of the world is currently dealing with spread because of the delta variant, India has already had significant infection from it so another surge is unlikely to happen soon with the same variant. There could be a surge if the viris mutates.”