Delhi reports less than 1,000 new Covid cases for first time in 49 days

The AAP was quick to laud its government for “successfully” fighting the pandemic.

The national capital on Monday reported less than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases for the first time in seven weeks and the AAP was quick to credit the “Kejriwal model” for the “successful” battle against the pandemic. The BJP, however, said the Centre brought the coronavirus situation “under control” after it had gone out of the Delhi government’s hand. The national capital on Monday recorded 954 fresh cases, according to a health bulletin. The number of tests too was the lowest in July so far.

The health bulletin said 11,470 tests (4,177 RT-PCR and 7,293 Rapid Antigen) were conducted. On previous days, the number of tests ranged between 19,000 and 22,000. According to Monday’s bulletin, the death toll from the coronavirus infection has risen to 3,663 with 35 fresh fatalities, and the total number of cases mounted to 1,23,747.

The active cases have also declined steadily over the last week, bringing the figure down to 15,166 — the lowest in 44 days — while the recovery rate touched nearly 85 per cent. This is for the first time since June 1 that less than 1,000 cases were recorded in a 24-hour span. For the last nine days, fresh cases were being reported in the range of 1,000-2,000.

Delhi had crossed the 1,000-mark in COVID-19 tally on April 11. On June 23, the national capital had reported the highest single-day spike of 3,947, till date. The number of containment zones in the city stand at 696. Of the 15,475 beds dedicated for COVID-19 patients, 11,958 beds are vacant, and of the 9,454 beds in the dedicated COVID Care Centre, 7,289 beds are vacant.

The AAP was quick to laud its government for “successfully” fighting the pandemic. “Amid this pandemic the Delhi government led by Chief Minister Mr Arvind Kejriwal has successfully fought this battle,” AAP’s Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh said.

The chief minister led this battle from the front, Singh said, adding COVID warriors of Delhi including doctors, nurses, sanitation workers, police officials and other workers were in this fight together. “The Kejriwal model of fighting the COVID battle is now not only being discussed in our country but it is being discussed across the world,” he said.

Singh said the Centre needs to admit that community spread of the coronavirus is happening in the country and follow Delhi’s lead in containing the virus by ramping up testing “on a large scale”. He said people are not realising that the community spread is underway and hence they are contracting the virus.

“The Centre needs to accept that community spread is taking place and ramp up testing on a large scale and more testing kits must be made available. They must replicate what the Delhi government did,” Singh said at a press briefing. Singh also said admitting that there is a community spread of the virus would require testing to be done on a large scale.

Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are the biggest examples in this respect where testing is being carried out just in name only, Singh alleged. Hitting back at Singh, Delhi BJP General-Secretary Rajesh Bhatia said that the AAP is “running away” from its responsibilities in Delhi.

“Now, they are saying there is community spread, if it is so what were they doing to stop it. The thing is COVID situation had gone out of Delhi government’s hand and was brought under control by Union Home Minister Amit Shah,” Bhatia said.

AAP leader Singh said following the “Kejriwal model” of combating COVID-19, the Uttar Pradesh government under Yogi Adityanath has now implemented the home isolation rules. When the Aam Aadmi Party government of Delhi brought the home isolation rules, the BJP government at the Centre opposed the idea and said that every patient should be admitted to a hospital.

“But today they are also following the home isolation rules,” he said, adding that 80 per cent have recovered in home isolation.

Meanwhile, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain resumed work on Monday after recovering from COVID-19, officials said. The minister, who had tested positive for the novel coronavirus on June 17, was back to his office at around 11:40 am.

The 55-year-old minister had been administered plasma therapy after which his condition improved. He was discharged from hospital on June 26. In his absence, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was looking after health and home departments, and PWD headed by Jain.