249 new Covid cases, highest since Jun 13; positivity rate jumps to 0.4%

New Delhi: Amid a surge in Omicron Covid variant cases here, Delhi on Saturday recorded 249 fresh Coronavirus cases, the highest single-day rise since June 13, and one death while the positivity rate mounted to 0.43 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department.

On Friday, 180 cases were recorded with an increased positivity rate of 0.29 per cent, according to officials figures.

The daily case count on Saturday jumped to 249 with further increased positivity rate of 0.43 per cent, according to the latest health bulletin.

This rise is the highest since June 13 when Delhi logged 255 COVID-19 cases with a positivity rate of 0.35 per cent, while 23 deaths were also recorded on that day.

The positivity rate recorded on Saturday was also the highest since June 9 when it had stood at 0.46 per cent, according to official data.

The spike in fresh cases in the span of last few days here is being recorded amid a jump in cases of new Omicron variant of Covid in Delhi

Earlier this month, Health Minister Satyendra Jain had said that the Delhi government was closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation here arisen out of the Omicron variant of the virus, but he had ruled out possibility of a lockdown in the national capital.

The city government already put in place a "graded response action plan", and it will be implemented accordingly, as and when the cases and positivity rate rise, he said.

According to the graded response system, when the positivity rate will reach 0.50 per cent i.e out of 1,000 people tested, five are positive, then the first level of this system will be implemented, the Delhi health minister had said, and added, "our efforts should be such that we don't reach that stage of 0.5 per cent".

The death toll due to the coronavirus infection in Delhi on Saturday rose to 25,104. Six deaths have been reported in December so far in the city. A total of 57,295 tests — 52,444 RT-PCR tests and 4,851 rapid antigen tests — were conducted a day ago, the latest bulletin said.

The Saturday's bulletin, however, did not specify the types of variants detected as far as the quantum of cases reported are concerned, neither did it mention whether the number of people testing positive, included those who come from abroad as well. Genome sequencing takes 7-10 days to process a sample, officials had earlier said.

While coronavirus cases have registered a rise in the last few days, in markets and other public places, mask and Covid norms-related violations were being reported.

The number of active cases mounted to 934 on Saturday, from 782 on Friday, according to the bulletin.