Covid: Positivity rate falls below 3%; 1,604 new cases & 17 deaths

New Delhi: Delhi on Saturday reported 1,604 COVID-19 cases and 17 fatalities, while the positivity rate declined to 2.87 per cent, according to data shared by the health department here.

On Friday, the national Capital had reported 2,272 fresh COVID-19 cases and 20 deaths, while the positivity rate was at 3.85 per cent.

With Saturday''s cases, the national capital's case count increased to 18,42523 and the death toll climbed to 25,969 the latest health bulletin stated.

The number of COVID-19 tests conducted on Friday was 55824, it said.

The number of daily cases in Delhi has been on the decline after touching the 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. The surge in ases in Delhi during the third wave of the pandemic was due to the Omicron variant of the virus which is highly transmissible.

Several families in a large number of neighbourhoods had tested positive, but medical experts have said that since the infection had happened at the same time, the recovery too has been quicker for the community as a whole, and there was a less chance of more spread of infection as people have been largely home isolated with a very little number of patients needing hospitalisation this time.

Meanwhile, the DDMA, at a meeting on Friday to review the COVID-19 situation, decided to reopen higher education institutions and coaching centres along with schools for class 9-12 from February 7. The DDMA, however, decided that night curfew will continue in Delhi. Gyms have also been allowed to reopen with certain restrictions, officials said.

There are 15,416 beds for COVID-19 patients in Delhi hospitals and 1,037 (6.73 per cent) of them were occupied.

Meanwhile, the Delhi government has instructed all district magistrates to review Covid-related expenditure and procurement along with allied relief activities and submit a report at the earliest.

A report by the districts for 2019-20 and 2020-21, would include expenses on tentage, ex gratia, food, vehicles, civil defence volunteers remuneration and others and submitted to the Revenue department headquarter at the earliest, said an order issued earlier this week.

It has also instructed all the district magistrates to seek financial sanctions adhering to procedures laid down in general financial rules, citing many such proposals were improperly drafted.

The district magistrates have also been instructed to seek timely administrative approval of competent authority before awarding work to bidders.

"In several cases, it has been observed that the proposals processed by the districts for seeking financial sanctions of the competent authority are not properly made," noted the order issued by the deputy controller of accounts.

They should strictly follow the procedures laid down in GFR 2017 and other instructions and guidelines issued on the subject from the time to time, it said.

All proposals seeking approval of the competent authority should clearly mention the proposed budget head with balance funds and codal formalities followed, in compliance to the directions issued by the finance department, stated the order addressed to 11 district magistrates in Delhi.

The department is in receipt of various complaints citing instances of alleged mismatch of bills, the order stated citing tentage bills, instructing the bills raised must also be checked as per the work orders provided by the concerned officer.