110 new cases in Delhi push Covid tally across 2,000

Over 64% of these cases were recorded among people below the age of 50, according to a break-up of the case profile provided by the government.

With 110 new cases on Sunday, Delhi’s total number of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases crossed the 2,000 mark. The total stood at 2,003 on Sunday, according to daily data provided by the Delhi government.

People are thermal screened and sensitized about the coronavirus by a worker in PPE overalls before a food distribution organised by the Indian Youth Congress outside IYC Office at Raisina Road, New Delhi, India on Sunday, April 19, 2020. (Sonu Mehta/HT PHOTO)

Two more deaths were recorded on Sunday, taking the total death toll of the city to 45.The people who died on Sunday were a 70-year-old male and a 71-year-old female. Both deaths were reported from Rajiv Gandhi Superspeciality Hospital.

Over 64% of these cases were recorded among people below the age of 50, according to a break-up of the case profile provided by the government. Of the 1,989 cases for which this data was available, 320 were in the age group of 50- 59 years and 386 were 60 years or older.

However, more than half the deaths were among those aged 60 years and above, with 25 of the total 45 deaths in this age group. As per the data, 10 were aged less than 50 years, while 10 were aged between 50 and 59 years.

Among those who died, 84% had co-morbidities, such as diabetes, hypertension, heart and kidney disease.

The data also shows that Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital reported the highest number of Covid-19 deaths from the city, with 20 of the 45 deaths being reported from the hospital.

The hospital had earlier said, “Most of the Covid-19 deaths that have occurred in our hospital are of patients who were referred from other hospitals at an advanced stage and had significant co-morbidities. The patients who are attending our hospital early in their course of the disease or do not have significant comorbidities are faring very well.”

Lok Nayak Hospital, which has been treating the highest number of Covid-19 positive and symptomatic patients, has reported five deaths so far. Apollo Hospital, a private facility, has reported five Covid-19 deaths.

Of those who have tested positive so far, at least 73 are healthcare workers.

Of the 682 Covid-19 patients with moderate to severe symptoms admitted to nine government and private hospitals across the city, 26 are in the intensive care unit, with six persons on the ventilator.

Another 912 Covid-19 positive people, with very mild or no symptoms, have been admitted to the 10 ‘Covid Care Centres’ created by the Delhi government in the DDA and DUSIB flats.

Although Delhi missed the target of performing 20,000 RT PCR tests in five days, it has scaled up testing, with 2,104 samples being collected on Sunday. This takes the total number of samples collected in the city since mid-January, when the screening began, to 24,387.

Delhi saw a second spike in the number of cases when the government scaled up its testing. The first spike in numbers was seen when a gathering of over 2,300 people were evacuated from Nizamuddin Markaz in March-end. The government did not provide data on how many of the samples collected on Sunday were from those connected to the gathering.

Community testing with the rapid test kits was yet to begin in Delhi on Sunday, a day after the state government received 42,000 rapid test kits.