Over 300 new Covid-19 cases reported after a month;tally crosses 26,000-mark

The city reported 304 new cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday, after a month of reporting less than 300 daily cases. Health officials said that they will have to observe

The city reported 304 new cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday, after a month of reporting less than 300 daily cases. Health officials said that they will have to observe the new figures for the next two to three days to understand the impact of the festival season on the Covid count.

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The last time when the count new Covid-19 cases had reached 314 was on September 21. In the first half of September, more than 300 new infections were emerging every day. It even crossed the 400-mark on September 20. A slight decline was visible in the last week of September, with cases hovering at 280. In October, the number daily cases remained at an average of 260, according to the health department officials.

On Wednesday, with 304 new cases, the total count of persons infected with SARS-CoV-2 crossed the 26,000-mark. Till now, 26,176 patients have been affected by Covid-19. Out of these 195 have died due to the illness, with nearly 73% deaths being reported due to co-morbidity. Presently, there are 2,424 are active cases. Among them, 153 are seriously ill patients undergoing treatment in hospitals, while 2,259 are in home isolation and 12 in district Covid Care Centres.

“The total positivity rate of the district is eight percent. There has been an increase in the number of new cases as almost 30 cases have been added after pending police verification,” said Dr Virender Yadav, chief medical officer. According to him incomplete addresses given at the time of testing creates problem in identifying cases and their contact tracing. It takes a day or two for the police to trace these cases, after which they are added to the list.

When asked about the impact on the positivity rate due to the ongoing Navratri festival and people thronging temples and markets, Yadav, said, “The team will get a better idea on Saptmi and Maha Ashtami (auspicious days of Navratri). The numbers may increase but it will be difficult to predict now. Therefore, we will observe the situation till the next week. Accordingly, the department will work upon the strategy.”

Currently, over 3,000 tests are being conducted every day, with more than 2,000 Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) tests and nearly 850 antigen tests. Taking note of the festival season, the health department has deployed two testing vans to conduct Covid-19 testing outside crowded markets and shopping malls from 5pm to 8pm. Teams are covering nearly 20 sites through these evening camps.