Delhi’s daily tally below 20,000 due to fewer tests; positivity 25%

To be sure, despite more than 65,000 active Covid-19 cases in the city, fewer than 2,000 hospital beds were occupied on Monday

Every fourth sample collected for a Covid-19 test in Delhi returned a positive report in the past 24 hours, according to government data on Monday, even as lower testing the previous day gave the Capital its first drop in daily infections in over three weeks.

Delhi added 19,166 cases, the state’s daily health bulletin showed, around 3,500 fewer than the Sunday bulletin’s count of 22,751 cases. (ANI)

To be sure, despite more than 65,000 active Covid-19 cases in the city, fewer than 2,000 hospital beds were occupied on Monday.

Delhi added 19,166 cases, the state’s daily health bulletin showed, around 3,500 fewer than the Sunday bulletin’s count of 22,751 cases. However, this drop was likely due to lower in testing, usually seen on Sundays and public holidays. Just over 76,000 samples were collected on Sunday, compared to over 96,000 on Saturday.

The test positivity rate touched 25% on Monday, up from 23.5% the previous day, and the highest since May 6, when 26.3% of all samples returned positive results.

There were 17 Covid-19 deaths reported on Monday, taking the total death toll in the city to 25,177 over the course of the pandemic. The active caseload in Delhi was 65,806.

The bulletin reflects data from noon the previous day to noon on the day it is released.

Nearly 86% of the dedicated Covid beds were vacant, with only 1,999 patients requiring medical care in a hospital. Of these, 503 needed oxygen support -- of these, 65 were on ventilators -- and a total of 443 patients were the intensive care units.

The Omicron variant of the coronavirus, which is fuelling the current wave of infections, while more transmissible than previous variants, causes lower hospitalisations, according to trends in India and other countries. Most patients suffer only mild symptoms, and are able to recover at home.