4,044 fresh cases & 25 deaths; positivity rate down to 8.60%

New Delhi: Delhi on Friday reported 4,044 fresh COVID-19 cases and 25 deaths, while the positivity rate dropped slightly to 8.6 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department. With this, the national capital's case count increased to 17,64,41 and the death toll climbed to 25,769. The number of COVID-19 tests conducted a day ago stood at 47,042, the data shared in a bulletin stated.

Delhi had on Thursday reported 4,291 cases with a positivity rate of 9.56 per cent and 34 deaths. On Wednesday, it had logged 7,498 cases with a positivity rate of 10.59 per cent, and recorded 29 deaths.

The number of daily cases in Delhi has been on the decline after touching a record high of 28,867 on January 13. The city had recorded a positivity rate of 30.6 per cent on January 14, the highest during the ongoing wave of the pandemic. It took just 10 days for daily cases to drop below the 10,000-mark.

There are 15,420 beds for COVID-19 patients in Delhi hospitals and 1,928 (12.50 per cent) of them are occupied. A total of 1,928 COVID-19 patients are in hospitals.

With the positivity rate on a downward trend, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on January 25 had said the Delhi government did not want livelihood of people to be affected and that COVID-19 restrictions will be eased as soon as possible, while asserting that the city's positivity rate had reduced to 10 per cent in 10 days. But even as most economic activities in the Capital have now been allowed to resume under strict Covid curbs, schools have been kept shut along with gyms, swimming pools and spas. And even as parents, teachers and education experts outrage over the decision to keep schools shut, gym owners and associations representing them have announced a strike today (Saturday) to demand the reopening of their establishments.