Delhi recorded 299 new Covid cases, positivity rate 2.49%

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Delhi reported 299 new COVID-19 cases and zero death on Wednesday while the positivity rate stood at 2.49 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department. Covid positivity rate in Delhi had jumped from 0.5 per cent to 2.70 per cent in one week, even as doctors on Tuesday had said it was "not a panic situation" as the daily case count was still low but cautioned against dropping the guard.

On Wednesday, 299 new cases were reported, a marked rise from 137 cases on Monday, according to the latest data shared by the health department. No health bulletin was issued on Tuesday.

On Monday, the positivity rate was 2.70 per cent — the highest in two months. The test positivity rate had stood at 2.87 per cent on February 5. With an uptick in daily cases and a significant rise in the positivity rate over the last few days, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Monday had said the city government was keeping a watchful eye on the COVID-19 situation and there was no reason to worry until a new variant of concern is detected.

The national capital's COVID-19 tally on Wednesday stood at 18,66,380 and the death toll at 26,158, the latest bulletin stated. A total of 12,022 COVID-19 tests were conducted in Delhi the previous day, the bulletin said.

The capital had on Sunday reported 141 cases and one death, while the positivity rate stood at 1.29 per cent. It saw 160 COVID-19 cases with a positivity rate of 1.55 per cent on Saturday.

On Friday, the city had reported 146 cases with a positivity rate of 1.39 per cent and one death. The number of daily COVID-19 cases in Delhi had touched the record high of 28,867 on January 13 this year 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 which was largely driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant of coronavirus. As many as 504 COVID-19 patients are in home isolation in the capital, the bulletin stated.

There are 9,745 beds for COVID-19 patients in Delhi hospitals and 43 (0.44 per cent) of them are occupied, it said. This is not a panic situation, however, there is a need to be vigilant and follow Covid-appropriate behaviour, Dr Richa Sareen, consultant of pulmonology at Fortis Hospital had said on Tuesday.

While being critical of the city government's recent move to remove the mask mandate, the doctor said, it was not a "static decision" and if the situation warrants, the rules can again be changed. According to several doctors, vaccination and herd immunity has "certainly provided a level of protection" to people.

Dr Suranjit Chatterjee, senior consultant, internal medicine, Apollo Hospital cautioned that while daily cases have been rising, a "sense of complacency has set in among the masses" in general, especially after the mask mandate was removed. "I do not foresee any new wave as long as we remain cautious, follow Covid-appropriate behaviour and wear mask while being outside, especially in crowded places," he said.

"But, I am seeing visuals on internet and reports that people are gathering in large numbers and not many are wearing mask which would mean that cases could further rise," he added.