Delhi on Wednesday reported 1,819 coronavirus cases with a positivity rate of 2.71 percent pushed the cumulative total to 6,62,430. Apart from showing a slight dip on Tuesday, the national capital has been recording over 1,500 fresh cases consistently over the last few days.
The city had recorded 992 cases on Tuesday, 1,904 cases on Monday and 1,881 cases on Sunday. It reported 1,558 cases on Saturday, 1,534 cases on Friday, 1,515 cases on Thursday. On last Tuesday, the city crossed the 1,000-mark for the first time since December 24.
With 11 more people succumbing to the deadly virus, the death toll today rose to 11,027. The number of active cases rose to 8,838 from 7,429 on Tuesday. A total of 6,7,070 tests, including 36,808 RT-PCR tests, were conducted a day ago.
The number of daily infections had started to come down in February. However, the daily cases began to rise again in March and have been steadily increasing since then.
Earlier in the day, Health Minister Satyendar Jain had said that 230 more ICU beds for coronavirus patients have been added in 33 private hospitals on the directions of the city government. Also, the number of non-ICU beds in these private facilities has been increased by 842.
“We are in a comfortable position (in terms of the number of beds available). Overall, only 25 percent of the beds for coronavirus patients in government and private hospitals are occupied," Jain told reporters.
Last week, he dismissed any possibility of imposing another lockdown in Delhi, saying it was not a solution to check the spread of the coronavirus that is again surging rapidly.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) will conduct random COVID-19 test of passengers coming from states where there has been a surge in cases recently, said the Delhi airport's operator DIAL on Wednesday.
The Centre had on Tuesday said the COVID-19 situation is turning from "bad to worse" and is a huge cause for worry, especially for some states, warning that the whole country is at risk and any complacency at this stage will have "heavy costs".
The Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) stated on Twitter on Wednesday, "As per the latest government mandate, DDMA shall conduct random COVID-19 testing of passengers coming from the states where cases are increasing."
"After the collection of samples, the travellers would be allowed to exit. However, the passengers who were found to be positive shall be mandatorily quarantined as per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare protocol," it added.
(With inputs from agencies)
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