Covid: Delhi records one death, 36 new cases; positivity rate 0.06 pc

New Delhi, October 19

Delhi on Tuesday recorded one death due to Covid-19 and 36 fresh cases with a positivity rate of 0.06 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department.

On Monday, 15 cases were recorded with a positivity rate of 0.03 per cent. This was the lowest daily case count since March 28 last year, according to official data.

Only five fatalities due to the coronavirus infection were reported last month one each on September 7, September 16 and September 17, and two on September 28, the date stated.

Three fatalities have been recorded so far this month in Delhi, the previous two deaths being reported on October 2 and October 10, according to official data.

The death toll due to Covid-19 in Delhi has now risen to 25,090.

On Tuesday, 36 cases were recorded with a positivity rate of 0.06 per cent, according to the latest health bulletin.

Delhi had reported nine cases on March 28 last year. The daily case count had dropped to 17 on September 13, with no death being recorded on that day, while the positivity rate was 0.04 per cent, according to official figures.

On Sunday, 32 cases were recorded with a positivity rate of 0.07 per cent, as per official data.

The number of cumulative cases on Tuesday stood at 14,39,441. Over 14.14 lakh patients have recovered from the virus.

A total of 58,729 tests — 40,368 RT-PCR tests and 17,911 rapid antigen tests—were conducted a day ago, the bulletin said.

Despite fall in daily cases in the last several days, Chief Minister Arvind 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.

Delhi was hit by a brutal second wave of the pandemic in April-May, which claimed a massive number of lives daily, and the oxygen supply shortage issue at various hospitals had added 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, according to official data.

However, the number of cases have shown a downward trend and the positivity rate too has been shrinking in the last several weeks.

Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain recently had said that medical infrastructure was being ramped up and 37,000 beds dedicated for Covid-19 patients were being set up to tackle the anticipated third wave of the pandemic in the national capital.

Few days later, he had said that the number of coronavirus cases had also been under control for the last two months, and together the society and government can strive and win over it, by following all Covid-appropriate behaviours.

The number of active cases increased to 322 on Tuesday from 298 a day before, as per the bulletin.

The number of people under home isolation stood at 103 on Tuesday while it was 92 a day before, and the number of containment zones decreased to 106 from 107 on Monday, the bulletin said. —PTI

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