Kejriwal asks people not to panic as Delhi logs 24,383 fresh COVID cases and positivity rate crosses 30%

Delhi: While COVID cases continue to surge in the national capital with the positivity rate reaching 30.64 percent, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal says that there is no reason to worry, as hospitalisation and death rates are quite low.

On Friday  the city reported 24,383 COVID-19 cases and 34 fatalities, according to health department data. Though the number of new cases was less than that of Thursday, the positivity rate increased. On Thursday, Delhi had reported 28,867 COVID-19 cases, the sharpest single-day spike since the beginning of the pandemic, and 31 deaths, while the positivity rate stood at 29.21 per cent.

According to the government data, 2,529 patients are in hospitals. As many as 815 patients are on oxygen support, including 99 who are on ventilator.

Kejriwal said asked people to be responsible and assured them that the government has made all preparations and enough hospital beds are available. He also said that the restrictions imposed in view of the surge in coronavirus cases will only be tightened if necessary, "but if corona cases begin to decline, we will relax the restrictions."

"Cases are rapidly increasing and there are no two ways about it. We all know that the Omicron variant is quite transmissible and infectious," Kejriwal said.

The chief minister said that despite the rise in cases, the hospitalisation rate and the number of deaths are quite low.
"As a result, there is no need for people to be concerned or to panic. From the perspective of the Delhi government, everything is in order. There is no shortage of hospital beds. There are also plenty of ICU beds available. We do not need to panic, but we must act responsibly. We are keeping an eye on the coronavirus situation," he said.

Health Minister Satyendra Jain has been saying that the hospitalisation rate in Delhi has stagnated, which is an indication that the current wave of the pandemic has plateaued.

According to him, 75 percent of the people who died due to coronavirus were unvaccinated and 90 percent of them had comorbidities.

"More than 75 per cent of the people who died due to coronavirus had not even taken a single dose of the vaccine. Ninety per cent of the people had severe comorbidities like cancer and kidney ailments. Even the seven patients below 18 years had chronic issues," Jain noted.

Jain said that the seven children who contracted the coronavirus and died between January 9 and January 12 had chronic issues.

The minister added that more than 13,000 hospital beds are lying vacant in the city. "The hospitalisation rate has become stagnant and the daily admissions have reduced. It is a matter of great relief," he said.

Out of 15,433 COVID beds in hospitals, 2,424 were occupied on Thursday, according to official data.

With inputs from PTI

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