Delhi reports 666 new Covid cases in 24 hours, positivity rate at 7.8%

Six more deaths were reported due to COVID-19 in Delhi on Saturday while the positivity rate stood at 7.8 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department here.

In its latest bulletin, the department said at least 666 fresh coronavirus cases were reported, adding that the data pertained only up to 12:59 PM on June 24, due to "technical issues with the ICMR portal".

The number of tests conducted for that period the previous day stood at 8,544, it said.

Delhi on June 20 had reported 1,060 Covid cases and six deaths, the highest in around four months, while the positivity rate had stood at 10.09 per cent.

Delhi on Friday had recorded 1,447 Covid cases and one death, while the positivity rate was 5.98 per cent.

The infection tally has risen to 19,29,507 while the death toll has mounted to 26,249.

Delhi had recorded 1,934 Covid cases and zero death on Thursday, while the positivity rate was 8.10 per cent.

Of the 9,497 beds in city hospitals, only 291 are occupied, up from 279 a day ago, while the beds at the Covid care centres and the Covid health centres are lying vacant, the department said.

With a surge in COVID-19 infections in Delhi lately, hospitals have also been witnessing a slight increase in admissions, but most of these patients, doctors say, have co-morbid conditions.

The number of active COVID-19 cases on Saturday decreased to 4,717 from 5,507 the previous day, according to the data.

As many as 3,776 patients are under home isolation, down from 3,790 on Thursday, while there are 350 Covid containment zones in the capital, up from 322 the previous day.

On Monday, Delhi had logged 1,060 Covid cases while the positivity rate was at 10.09 per cent. This was the highest case positivity rate recorded in the capital since January 24, when 11.8 per cent of the people tested had turned out to be positive.

Also, the single-day death toll of six was the highest since February 13, when 12 people had succumbed to the viral infection.

Despite the rise in the positivity rate, the city government has not implemented the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) devised by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) since hospital admissions are low.

The GRAP came into force in August last year, stipulating measures to be taken by the government in accordance with the positivity rate and bed occupancy for the locking and unlocking of various activities.

Experts have said people lowering their guard and travelling during the vacation season are the main reasons behind the latest upward trend in the number of coronavirus cases in Delhi.

The number of daily COVID-19 cases in Delhi had touched the record high of 28,867 on January 13 during the third wave of the pandemic. The city had recorded a positivity rate of 30.6 per cent on January 14, the highest during the third wave of the pandemic.