Mandatory mask rule, fines back in Delhi as Covid cases rise again

Sharp rise in test positivity rate in Delhi past few weeks; doctors say many admitted for other ailments testing Covid-positive; Mumbai also sees spurt in cases

Masks are back in the national capital, bringing back memories of the Covid-19 wave that kept the country on its toes for a large part of the last two years. After the test positivity rate crossed 17 per cent in Delhi and over 5.7 per cent of its hospital beds were occupied, the city brought back the mandatory mask rule.

Violating the mask guidelines will attract a fine of Rs 500.

Tamil Nadu had already made masks mandatory a few months ago and the step seems to have paid off. A Business Standard analysis showed that Chennai’s test positivity rate has remained stable at 4.6 per cent from end of July till date.

Delhi, however, has seen a sharp rise in test positivity rate over the past few weeks — from 9.3 per cent in the end of July to 17.8 per cent now.

In the past few weeks, cases have seen a spike in Delhi, hovering around 1,500-2,000 daily, and around 520 patients are admitted in various hospitals. Doctors say that many hospitalised for other ailments are turning out to be Covid-19 positive incidentally; there is a rush of patients with Covid-19 symptoms at OPDs.

Shuchin Bajaj, director, Ujala Cygnus Group of Hospitals, said: “There is a rush of patients in the OPDs who have Covid-19 symptoms — fever, cold, cough — and upon testing many turn out to be positive. Among those hospitalised, many are admitted for other ailments but turn out to be Covid-19 positive.”

A matter of concern is that Delhi has witnessed over 32 deaths in the first 11 days of August. “We cannot take this virus lightly at all. There is a rise in post-Covid-19 heart attacks. We do not know about the long-term impacts of this virus even now,” Bajaj said.

Other major cities too are catching up — Mumbai has already seen an upward trend in the number of cases. In fact, the city saw a 79 per cent jump in fresh cases on Wednesday to 852 cases, up from 476 infections reported on Tuesday. So far, only 1.2 per cent of Mumbai’s hospital beds are occupied. Mumbai is yet to bring back mask guidelines.

There has been an increase in the share of tests that are positive in Mumbai and Delhi, while Chennai has remained the same. Mumbai’s test positivity rate has risen from 2.4 per cent to 8.8 per cent in the same period (see chart 1).

There has been a drop in tests conducted amid the rising positivity rate. Delhi testing is down 10.9 per cent and Mumbai is down 28 per cent. Chennai has seen a 36.3 per cent testing decline; although it has not seen the rise in positivity rate witnessed in the other two cities (see chart 2).

Doctors in Kolkata say that the Covid-19 numbers have started to show a decline, while swine flu numbers are rising.

Aviral Roy, consultant-intensivist, internal medicine and critical care, Medica Superspecialty Hospital said: “We had an increase in Covid-19 numbers a month or two ago, but the numbers have recently begun to decline. However, there have been numerous isolated cases of H1N1 swine flu, a subtype of the influenza A virus.”

He added that every week, one to two such individuals were admitted to the hospital. The patients show serious infection, and a few fatalities have recently been reported. The Union health ministry had written letters to Maharashtra, Delhi, Odisha, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu on August 5, highlighting that the case positivity rate was rising in these states.

The Centre had also directed the states to increase testing, monitor clusters of infections closely and report district-wise influenza-like illnesses regularly. On August 5, Delhi had a weekly positivity rate of 9.86 per cent. Covid-19 spread can escalate quickly — within merely a week, the positivity rate almost doubled in the national capital.

India has reported an average of 17,016 daily fresh cases in August and an average positivity rate of 4.7 per cent. As of Thursday, India’s overall positivity rate is 4.85 per cent.