61 new Covid-19 cases, two more deaths in Delhi

New Delhi, August 5

The national capital recorded 61 fresh Covid-19 cases and two deaths due to the disease on Thursday, while the positivity rate slightly decreased to 0.08 per cent, according to data shared by the health department here.

The coronavirus death toll in the city has risen to 25,060, according to the latest health bulletin.

No death due to Covid-19 was recorded in Delhi on Wednesday, while 67 fresh cases were reported, with a positivity rate of 0.09 per cent.

This was the fifth time, since the starting of the second wave of the pandemic in the national capital, when zero fatality had been logged in a day.

On July 18, July 24, July 29 and August 2 too, no death due to Covid-19 was recorded, the data said.

On March 2 this year, the national capital had reported zero death due to the virus. On that day, the number of single-day infections stood at 217 and the positivity rate was 0.33 per cent.

The second wave swept the city during April-May period.

On Thursday, 61 cases with a positivity rate of 0.08 per cent, and two deaths were recorded, the bulletin said.

On Wednesday, the city registered 67 cases and zero fatality, while the positivity rate stood at 0.09 per cent.

The infection rate which had reached to 36 per cent in the last week of April, has come down to less than 0.10 per cent now.

On February 16, ninety-four people were diagnosed Covid positive while the daily tally was 96 on January 27, according to official figures.

Meanwhile, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Thursday said the city government was preparing to set up 37,000 beds for Covid-19 patients in anticipation of the third wave of the pandemic, even as he emphasised that if the positivity rate reaches five per cent again then lockdown will be immediately imposed.

Addressing a virtual session hosted by Assocham India, the minister also said that the government was preparing to combat the pandemic's next wave, assuming a "worst-case scenario".

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had last week said the total number of anti-coronavirus vaccine doses administered in Delhi had crossed the one-crore mark and of the eligible population in the city 50 per cent have received at least one jab.

Despite fall in daily cases in the last several days, Kejriwal had recently cautioned that the chances of the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic were quite real, while he asserted that his government was preparing on a "war-footing" to combat it.

The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) recently had passed a colour-coded response action plan under which curbs would be implemented in accordance with the severity of the Covid-19 situation here to deal with a possible third wave of the pandemic.

Delhi had been reeling under a brutal second wave of the pandemic that is sweeping the country, claiming a massive number of lives daily, with the recent oxygen supply shortage issue at various hospitals, adding to the woes.

Since April 19, both daily cases and single-day deaths count had been spiralling up, with over 28,000 cases and 277 deaths recorded on April 20; rising to 306 fatalities on April 22. On May 3, the city registered a record 448 deaths, as per the official data.

However, the number of cases have shown a downward trend and the positivity rate too has been shrinking in the last several days. The number of deaths per day, has also been showing a decline in the last couple of days.

On May 15, Kejriwal had said, "The virus is reducing in Delhi slowly and steadily, and I hope it diminishes completely and does not rise again. However, we are not going to become negligent in anyway", while sounding a tone of caution.

Meanwhile, the DDMA recently announced further lifting of restrictions, in view of the improved coronavirus situation.

Following the relaxations in norms, the Delhi Metro is running with full seating capacity from July 26, with still no provision for standing travel for commuters.

A total of 72,518 tests, including 47,960 RT-PCR tests and 24,558 rapid antigen tests, were conducted a day ago, according to the health bulletin on Thursday.

The number of cumulative cases on Thursday stood at 14,36,579. Over 14.1 lakh patients have recovered from the virus.

The number of active cases slightly increased to 518 on Thursday from 513 a day before, as per the bulletin.

The number of people under home isolation decreased to 166 on Thursday from 157 a day before, while the number of containment zones remained 284 as on Wednesday, the bulletin said. — PTI

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