Delhi’s Covid-19 positivity rate nears 5%, cases mild

Delhi’s active cases increased to 8,397 on Sunday from 6,360 recorded until a day before, according to the government’s daily health bulletin. While Sunday’s tally was the highest single-day rise in since May 20, the test positivity rate stood at 4.59%.

Covid-19 infections in Delhi are increasing rapidly, but there is no need to panic because most of the cases are mild or asymptomatic, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday, when the city reported 3,194 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, up from 2,716 cases reported a day earlier.

Delhi reported about 6,600 active Covid-19 cases on March 27, which was similar to the current situation in the city, CM Kejriwal said. (PTI file photo)

To underscore the point, Kejriwal compared the current hospitalisation numbers with the figures during the second Covid wave.

“The reason why I am saying there is no need to panic is because only 246 hospital beds were occupied yesterday (Saturday). All cases are mild or asymptomatic,” Kejriwal said at a digital news briefing. He said that over 99% of the beds for Covid were “still vacant”.

Delhi’s active cases increased to 8,397 on Sunday from 6,360 recorded until a day before, according to the government’s daily health bulletin. While Sunday’s tally was the highest single-day rise in since May 20, the test positivity rate stood at 4.59%.

“But back then, 1,700 oxygen beds and 231 ventilators were occupied. Back then, there were 10 deaths daily. Today, there’s barely one, or none at all. I just mean to explain the lack of severity of the situation at hand. The Omicron variant spreads rapidly, but the severity of infections is fairly low this time,” he said.

There were 94 people on oxygen beds and four patients on ventilator support, the bulletin showed.

These numbers underline global trends that the Omicron variant appears to be more transmissible, but less virulent, and that the variant of concern does not crowd hospitals like the Delta variant did.

However, the number of cases in Delhi is rising at a faster clip than in the second wave, and hospitalisations typically come with a lag.

Dr Lalit Kant, former head of epidemiology and communicable diseases division at the Indian Council of Medical Research, said the Omicron variant can infect even those who are fully vaccinated. “That is why people need to strictly keep wearing masks. Omicron’s rate of replication is 70 times faster than its predecessor. But, fortunately, most cases till now are suggesting that the variant causes only mild infections as it replicates less efficiently in the lung tissue,” he said.

Even if more people start needing hospital care, Delhi government is prepared with 37,000 oxygen beds, the chief minister said.

Kejriwal shared data to show how the cases have rapidly increased in the past five days, but the number of beds occupied in Delhi hospitals has declined.

“On December 29, Delhi had 2,191 active cases. The total hospitalisation cases were 262. Today, on January 2, we have 6,360 active cases and hospitalisations have decreased to 247, despite the increase in caseload,” he said.

On Sunday, 307 Covid-19 patients were admitted in hospitals, of which 59 are suspected cases and 10 are those who tested positive at the airport.

“I just want to tell the people of Delhi that there is no need to panic at all. We have to be responsible; we must wear masks in public, follow social distancing and wash hands with soap,” Kejriwal said. “The variant is very mild and your government will always, no matter what, stand with you. Please do not panic.”

With the test positivity rate shooting past 4%, the Delhi government said it was closely monitoring the situation, even as it does not plan to immediately impose fresh economic and travel restrictions in view of the low rate of hospitalisations.

Delhi is current under yellow alert – the first level of restrictions under its graded response action plan – triggered when the positivity rate stayed above 0.5% for two consecutive days. It led to a night curfew, and closing of schools, colleges, movie theatres and gyms.

On November 30, Kejriwal announced that Delhi was prepared to set up 63,800 Covid-19 beds, some at a short notice of two weeks, in case there is an outbreak of the Omicron variant of the disease in the city.

Delhi has 37,000 oxygen beds ready, of which 10,000 are intensive care beds, he said at a virtual media briefing. During the second wave, the fourth for Delhi, the national capital scaled up availability of beds with oxygen supply to 25,000. As many as 6,800 additional intensive care beds will be ready by February.