Delhi health minister says deaths due to Covid-19 are on the decline

With a high number of tests being conducted and fewer new cases reported, the average positivity rate—the proportion of samples that test positive for Covid-19—has

With a high number of tests being conducted and fewer new cases reported, the average positivity rate—the proportion of samples that test positive for Covid-19—has reduced to 4.28% over the last seven days. Delhi’s average positivity rate was 7.8% last week.

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Delhi has increased the number of tests from an average 61,600 tests daily to 74,600, shows the data from the government’s health bulletin.

The number of tests, however, remained lower than the peak number of 85,000 tests that were reported in December 4’s bulletin. The government plans to scale up the number of tests to 100,000 or 120,000 a day.

On Tuesday, Delhi reported 3,188 new cases, taking the total tally of the infection in the city to 597,000 so far. There were 57 deaths recorded on the day, with the total death toll of Covid-19 reaching 9,763.

The cumulative case fatality ratio (CFR)—the proportion of people who died of the disease compared to those who were tested positive for it—stood at 1.64%. The cumulative CFR has consistently reduced since recording a high 4.11% on June 16 to 1.56% in mid-November, when it started increasing during the third wave of cases in Delhi.

The highest number of deaths recorded in a day during the third wave was 131 deaths on November 18. “Number of deaths in Delhi are on a decline. Lowest deaths since 5th Nov. Our frontline warriors like doctors and nurses are working round the clock to save each and every life. I Request you all to observe all precautions for this trend to decline further,” said Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain in a tweet.

The number of new cases reported had peaked at 8,593 on November 10 and the positivity rate at 15.33% on November 15. Experts say that the number of deaths usually peaks a little after the number of cases do because patients are admitted to hospitals for some time before succumbing to the infection.

Jain had earlier said that most deaths in Delhi hospitals took place ten days after admission.