Coronavirus Cases Soar In North Delhi As 46 Test Positive In Jahangirpuri; Hospital Sealed After 14 Medics Infected

At least 46 people from a containment zone in north Delhi's Jahangirpuri have tested positive for Coronavirus while a hospital in the same district has been sealed after 14 staff members were found infected, officials said.

Forty-six people tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Jahangirpuri on Thursday, a few days after 31 members of an extended family were found to be infected with COVID-19 in the area, officials said.

They said the cases were detected in the three streets of H-block which was sealed by the district administration on April 14 after the family members had tested positive recently.

"Total 46 people living in H-block of Jahangirpuri tested positive for COVID-19. This area was already sealed after detailed screening was carried out and samples taken," North Delhi District Magistrate Deepak Shinde said.

Earlier this week, thirty-one members of an extended family, including children, residing in Jahangirpuri area tested positive for the dreaded virus.

On Thursday, the number of containment zones rose to 92 in the national capital. Delhi has so far reported 2,376 cases of coronavirus, with 128 cases being reported in a single day since Wednesday evening.

The containment zones, announced by the district administration after three or more Covid cases are found in an area, have seen a constant rise since April 8, when there were only 20.

After a 'containment zone' is declared and sealed, the Delhi government starts 'Operation SHIELD' -- Sealing, Home Quarantine, Isolation and Tracking, Essential Supply, Local Sanitisation and Door-To-Door Checking --  to control the spread of the virus

Meanwhile, the Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial Hospital in north Delhi has been sealed after 14 staff members tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday, officials said.

"The hospital has been sealed after 14 staff, including senior and junior residents, have tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday," an official said.

The 100-bedded multispeciality district hospital is situated in E-block, Jahangirpuri, in the North-West district.

(With agency inputs)