NEW DELHI: Delhi recorded the highest single-day surge in Covid-19 cases on Thursday with 7,437 more persons testing positive for the viral infection in 24 hours while the death toll mounted to 11,157 with 24 fresh fatalities due to the infection.
The test positivity rate increased to 8.1% from 6.1% the previous day reflecting fast spread of the disease. This is the first time that over 7,000 cases have been reported in a day this year. The highest single-day spike in Delhi till date — 8,593 cases — was reported on November 11.
37 docs test +ve at Ganga Ram hosp in past 10-12 days
The daily case count for the past two days was above 5,000. Many cases of re-infection as well as infection among individuals who have received both doses of vaccine against Covid-19 are also coming into light.
At Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, a prominent private hospital, sources said, 37 doctors have tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 10-12 days. Majority of them have received both doses of vaccine against the disease, said a source. “All of them have mild symptoms. Of the 37 doctors who have tested positive, 32 are under home isolation and the five are admitted in the hospital. The admitted doctors do not have severe symptoms but they have been admitted to the hospital as a precautionary measure,” the source added.
The surge in cases over the past two weeks has led to increased demand for beds, especially for the critically-ill. There are only 330 Covid ICU beds with a ventilator available across the city, real-time data on availability of Covid-19 beds shows. The number of Covid ICU beds without a ventilator that are available is 715, data suggests.
Many patients are forced to run from one hospital to the other for admission – a scenario witnessed earlier in November last year when the daily cases crossed the 8,000 mark.
Officials say a similar crisis is emerging once again, though at a much greater speed. “In February first week, Delhi was reporting around 130 to 140 cases daily. It seemed that the pandemic had slowed. But there has been an exponential rise in cases over the past few weeks leading to a crisis situation,” a doctor claimed.
He added that strict adherence to Covid appropriate behaviour and creating micro-containment zones in areas where there was a cluster of cases is needed to limit disease spread.
Delhi has 8,700 Covid beds. Of them, 4,002 (46%) are occupied. The occupancy of Covid ICU beds with and without a ventilator stands at 66% and 55%, respectively, according to the data shared by the hospitals on the Delhi Corona App.