Record spike of 7,745 new Covid-19 cases in Delhi, death toll rises to 6,989

Delhi on Sunday recorded highest single-day spike of 7,745 new cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) and 77 related deaths, according to the health department’s latest bulletin, taking the Capital’s tally to 438,529 even as the city is witnessing the third wave of the pandemic.

According to the bulletin, there were 6,069 recoveries/discharges/migrations in the last 24 hours. There have been 389,683 recoveries/discharges/migrations and 6,989 deaths so far in the national capital. Active cases of the coronavirus disease stand at 41,857.

The Capital reported 6,953 cases of the infection on Saturday, as per the government’s Covid-19 bulletin, a day after the number of new infections in Delhi breached the 7,000-mark for the time. The number of active cases or those with current infections crossed the 40,000 mark for the first time in the city the same day. On Saturday, Delhi reported 79 deaths due to the infection, the highest since July 4 when 81 deaths – some that had happened before – were added to the city’s toll. The total number of fatalities stood at 6,912.

The Union health ministry data shows that Delhi topped the list of 10 states that contributed 77% of the new Covid-19 cases. Delhi High Court had earlier this week said Delhi was on its way to become the “corona capital of the country.”

Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain said on Saturday that the Capital is currently reeling under the “third wave” of the Covid-19 infection but cases should begin to come down soon. Jain also said that the Delhi government has filed a special leave petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court after the high court did not allow reserving 80 per cent ICU beds for Covid-19 patients at several private hospitals

“Yesterday, we issued an order to add 1,185 beds for Covid patients in both Delhi government hospitals and many private hospitals.Five hundred beds are to be augmented at city government-run Covid facilities, including 110 ICU beds,” Jain had said.

Earlier on Sunday, the minister had attributed the increase in the number of Covid-19 cases to aggressive testing and contact-tracing. He also said laxity on the part of the people has been a major reason behind the spike in new cases of the coronavirus disease. “Some people think nothing will happen to them if they don’t wear a mask. They are wrong. Mask is the only medicine for Covid-19 till a vaccine is developed,” Jain added.