NEW DELHI: It is not just Delhi where Covid cases have shown a spike in
recent days. Infections have been rising in several northern states in the Capital’s vicinity even as the overall national count has shown a slight decline so far this week.
States where cases have surged in the past 10 days include Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal,
Punjab, Uttarakhand and, to a lesser extent, UP.
In Haryana, the seven-day average of daily cases has risen sharply from 1,570 on November 2 to 2,424 on November 12. Likewise, it has risen from 1,778 to 1,932 in Rajasthan, from 430 to 581 in Punjab, from 287 to 624 in Himachal, from 305 to 453 in Uttarakhand, and from 1,983 to 2,046 in UP during these 10 days.
In Delhi, average daily cases have zoomed from 5,269 to 7,196 during this period.
These aren’t the only states to show a spike in the run-up to
Diwali amid a general declining trend in the rest of the country. In MP, average daily infections have gone up from 678 on November 2 to 882 on Thursday. Similarly, Gujarat has shown a rise from 943 to 1,052.
Meanwhile, 44,702 cases were recorded in the country on Thursday, a slight drop from 48,034 reported last Thursday, as per data collated by TOI from state governments. Last week, cases had risen for the first time in eight weeks.
The day’s death toll remained over 500 for the third day running, with 530 fatalities on Thursday.
In Rajasthan,
Arjun Prajapati, 60, a Padma Shri awardee sculptor, was among 13 who died of Covid in the state on Thursday. Prajapati was internationally known for his art.
Maharashtra saw 4,496 fresh cases — its fourth consecutive day of reporting fewer than 5,000 cases — taking its overall tally to 17,36,329. Over 55,000 cases have been reported in the 12 days of November, one-third of cases reported in the first 12 days of October.