Delhi's daily Covid-19 cases drop below 5,000 for first time after April 5

Covid-19 Delhi update: A total of 4,524 new cases were recorded in the national capital in the last 24 hours, pushing the cumulative tally to 1,398,391, the health bulletin said.

Signalling control over the deadly fourth wave of coronavirus infection, Delhi on Monday recorded less than 5,000 fresh Covid-19 cases for the first time in nearly 42 days. A total of 4,524 new cases were recorded in the national capital in the last 24 hours, pushing the cumulative tally to 1,398,391, the health bulletin said.

A man reads a newspaper next to a vendor waiting for customers to feed pigeons along the roadside in New Delhi on May 17, 2021. (AFP)

The daily death toll, however, rose from 262 recorded a day earlier after 340 fresh fatalities were recorded in the health bulletin. As many as 21,846 people have succumbed to the deadly viral disease since the start of the pandemic.

On Monday, the positivity rate - the proportion of samples turning up a positive result among all tested - dropped further to 8.42%, which shows that the disease spread has been arrested to an extent. A day earlier, Delhi's positivity rate was recorded at 10.4%.

At 8.42%, the positivity rate is the lowest since April 9 when it stood at 7.8%. The number of new infections is the lowest since April 5 when 3,548 people were diagnosed with the disease, according to government data.

However, the lesser number of fresh cases on Monday came from a relatively smaller number of tests -- 53,756-- conducted on Sunday.

After witnessing record Covid-19 cases close to 30,000 last month, the national capital moved to strictly follow the lockdown strategy till the cases come down to permit regular function of Delhi. Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday extended the ongoing lockdown by another week which will now end at 5am on May 24, stating that the recovery made cannot be lost by rushing to open the national capital for people.

The gains made so far in fighting Covid-19 cannot be lost suddenly due to any relaxations now, Kejriwal said.

With the positivity rate shooting past the 30 per cent-mark, Delhi went into lockdown on April 20 in a bid as the CM warned that the fourth wave in the city-state is dangerous and people will have to stay indoors to save lives.

The positivity rate in Delhi rose to its highest (35%) on April 26 but has gradually come down in the last 21 days.

Explaining the reason behind extending the lockdown, Kejriwal said the number of Covid-19 cases is decreasing in Delhi and recovery has increased but "we do not want to lose this gain, therefore, lockdown is extended".