Healthcare worker takes a swab sample outside Sarojani Nagar Metro Station in New Delhi on Saturday. (Express photo by Praveen Khanna) Delhi News and Live Updates: Delhi on Sunday recorded 3,194 Covid-19 cases and one death while the positivity rate stood at 4.59%. As many as 1,156 people recovered from the disease in past 24 hours.
Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s press conference on Monday regarding the rising Covid-19 and Omicron cases in the national capital focussed on one thing — “do not panic”.
Assuring people that there are enough oxygen beds as hospitalisation was low, he said: “At present, only 82 oxygen beds are occupied in Delhi. We have 37,000 of them. There is no need to panic, but have to be responsible by wearing marks and avoiding gatherings. This Covid variant is very mild.”
His address comes at a time the number of Omicron cases in Delhi have risen to 351, the second highest tally in a state after Maharashtra.
The air quality of the national capital was in the “very poor” category on Sunday morning with the AQI clocking 398 at 9 am, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed.
Delhiites woke up to a cold morning as the minimum temperature settled at 5 degrees Celsius, two notches below normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Delhi on Sunday recorded 3,194 Covid-19 cases and one death while the positivity rate stood at 4.59%. As many as 1,156 people recovered from the disease in past 24 hours.
The Delhi Police has registered an FIR against unknown persons for allegedly uploading a doctored picture of a woman journalist on a website, officials said on Sunday. The journalist had lodged an online complaint and she shared the copy of the complaint on Twitter. The case was registered at the Cyber Police station of the southeast district on Saturday night, the police said. A senior police officer said the case has been registered under sections 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and 354 A (sexual harassment and punishment for harassment) of the Indian Penal Code on the complaint of the journalist alleging that she is being targeted by an unidentified group of people on 'Bulli Bai' portal. --PTI
Kejriwal said: “Yes, there was a shortage of beds and oxygen during the second Covid-19 wave. As such, I wanted to compare the data from then with now. We have around 6,300 active cases right now and on March 27, too, there were 6,600 active cases. Then, 1,150 oxygen beds were occupied. Today, only 82 are. Ventilators that were in use in March were 145, whereas today, that is 5. There were about 10 deaths a day then, and at present, there are either no or one each day. I am telling you these things to show that the current coronavirus strain is very mild right now and there is no need to panic."
Kejriwal also compared the active case count in the city. “There are 6,360 active cases in Delhi right now. This number was around 2,191 three days ago. But on December 29, only 262 patients were admitted to hospitals. On January 1, this number came down to 247. This means that the cases that are coming in are very mild, or are asymptomatic and people do not need hospitalisation. At present, only 82 oxygen beds are occupied in Delhi…very few patients who need oxygen are coming in. We have 37,000 such beds and can scale-up at any time,” he added.
The air quality of the national capital was in the "very poor" category on Sunday morning with the AQI clocking 398 at 9 am, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed.
Delhiites woke up to a cold morning as the minimum temperature settled at 5 degrees Celsius, two notches below normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Meanwhile, the AQI of Delhi's neighbouring Faridabad stood at 332, Ghaziabad at 368, Greater Noida at 314 and Noida at 367, all in the "very poor" category. (PTI)
Vinay Kumar’s mother had tried her best to dissuade her son from visiting the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu. It would be too cold and crowded, she had said. But he resisted. “This is the last time I can go. Once I get a job in the army, there won’t be any time. I need to go now.”
On December 29, the 21-year-old army aspirant left for the shrine on a night train from Faridabad, planning to return by January 2. On Saturday, Kumar’s family woke up to the news that he was among the 12 who died in the stampede late Friday night. It was Kumar’s third trip there.
“Vinay was among 12 people from our locality who had gone to the shrine. They were in groups of two. We made frantic calls to the others who were with him. One of them, Kapil, told us he had been injured, but that he was let go from the hospital after first-aid. He told us Vinay was still admitted. A little while later we were told he’s no more,” said Mahesh Chand, Kumar’s inconsolable father and a Delhi Jal Board (DJB) employee.
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Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal urged people not to panic as the cases that are coming up are mostly mild asymptomatic.
"We have to be responsible, wear marks, sanitise and avoid gatherings. This Covid variant (Omicron) is very mild," Kejriwal added.
On December 29, 262 patients were admitted in hospitals, while the number stood at 242 on January 1, Kejriwal said. “This means that the cases that are coming in are very mild, or are asymptomatic,” he said.
The chief minister said only 82 oxygen beds are presently occupied in Delhi, while 37,000 oxygen beds are ready.
"On March 27, there were 6,600 active cases and 1,150 oxygen beds were occupied. There were about 10 deaths a day, but at present there are is one death or no death in a day," he added.
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said in a virtual press conference that cases are increasing at a fast pace, but there is no need to panic.
"Covid cases increased from 1,796 to around 2,700 in a day. There are around 6,000 active cases at present, there were around 2,000 active cases three days ago," he said.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will address a virtual press conference at 12 pm on Sunday.
The National Capital reported 1,950 COVID-19 cases and one death in the last 24 hours.
Delhi schools have been directed to play a central role in the Covid-19 vaccination of eligible students from Monday, and will have to share their vaccination status with the education department every day.
Covid-19 vaccination for children between the ages of 15 and 18 will begin from Monday in 159 government centres and 16 private centres.
Around 60 MCD, government, New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and Cantonment Board schools themselves will be functioning as Covid-19 vaccination centres for this age group.
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Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta said his party’s protest against the AAP government’s new excise policy would continue and that all three municipal corporations in the capital have decided to seal liquor shops that violate municipal laws.
He said shops that do not comply with corporations rules or are in close vicinity of a religious place or a school will be sealed with immediate effect.
The BJP would resort to “chakka jam” on January 3 at 14 places across the city if the new excise policy is not withdrawn, Gupta said.
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In a bid to ramp up security at city courts, the Delhi Police, following an audit, has decided to procure 1,055 CCTVs, including 60 pan-tilt-zoom cameras, 56 X-ray baggage scanners, 30 explosive detectors, 28 integrated systems for checking vehicles, and 155 iron barricades.
Issues regarding security lapses at city courts came to the light following two incidents last year. In September, two armed men, posing as lawyers, had killed gangster Jitender Maan alias Gogi inside a courtroom before being gunned down by police personnel. In December, a low-intensity blast went off at the same courthouse.
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A Delhi-based journalist has filed a complaint with the cyber cell of south-east district police, alleging that unidentified persons uploaded doctored photos of her on a webpage alongside objectionable comments “aimed at insulting Muslim women”. This comes six months after police in Delhi and Noida registered cases in connection with photos of Muslim women being uploaded on a Github app. No arrests have been made in connection with that complaint.
DCP (south-east district) Esha Pandey confirmed they have received a complaint. “We are looking into it and appropriate legal action will be taken,” she said.
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