Delhi reports 1,044 black fungus cases, 89 deaths so far: Satyender Jain

NEW DELHI: As many as 1,044 cases of black fungus also known as Mucormycosis have been reported in Delhi with 92 recoveries and 89 deaths registered so far, said State Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Thursday.

The number of active cases of black fungus infection stands at 863, he informed.

At a press conference, the state Health Minister said, "There have been a total of 1,044 black fungus cases in Delhi so far. The state has recorded 92 recoveries from the infection and 89 related deaths. The number of active black fungus cases stands at 863."

Meanwhile, Satyendar Jain said he has no clue about how many Covid-19 vaccine doses Delhi would be receiving in its fresh stock.

"Until we get it, we cannot say anything," he said on COVID vaccine doses.

For more than a week, Delhi's government vaccination centres for the beneficiaries in the age group 18-44 years have been closed, due to unavailability of stock.

With a gap mandated of four weeks between the two doses of Covaxin, there are many beneficiaries waiting to get their second dose on time.

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Speaking about the matter of when people will be administered their second dose, he said, "We were following the schedule provided by the Centre. If the stocks of Covaxin doses gets replenished, we will stop giving the first dose and instead prioritize giving second dose to the beneficiaries who have been administered the first dose. We got the vaccines in May and by June the supply has significantly reduced. We are trying our best."

He further stated that there are two parts of the Covid vaccination drives - one is to procure it and the second is to administer it. "The Delhi government has fully prepared itself to administer vaccine doses," he said.

Satyendar Jain also said that a sero survey will be done to assess the prevalence of the novel coronavirus in the national capital and rectify the claims of the experts which stated that 80 per cent of Delhi's population has been infected with the virus.

According to the state health bulletin issued on Wednesday, Delhi registered 576 fresh Covid-19 cases over 24 hours. The positivity rate stands at 0.78 per cent in the national capital.