New cases drop below 10K, positivity rate down to 13.32%, 34 more deaths

New Delhi: Delhi on Sunday reported 9,197 fresh Covid cases and 34 deaths, while the positivity rate dropped to 13.32 per cent, according to data shared by the health department.

The health bulletin showed 69,022 Covid tests were conducted in the Capital the previous day.

The number of daily cases in Delhi has been declining after touching the record high of 28,867 on January 13.

It has taken just 10 days for cases to drop below the 10,000-mark. Delhi on Saturday recorded 45 deaths due to Covid, the highest since June 5, and 11,486 cases with a positivity rate of 16.36 per cent.

On Friday, the capital had logged 10,756 cases with a positivity rate of 18.04 per cent and 38 deaths. As many as 513 people have succumbed to Covid in the national Capital so far in January.

However, Health Minister Satyendar Jain and officials have maintained that most patients had comorbidities, such as cancer, liver or kidney diseases, and Covid wasn't the primary reason for deaths this time.

There are 15,411 beds for Covid patients in Delhi hospitals and 2,424 (15.73 per cent) of them are occupied.

The bulletin stated that the number of Covid patients in hospitals has dropped from 2,624 on January 19 to 2,342. Currently, 164 patients are on ventilator support. There are 54,246 active Covid cases in Delhi. Of these, 42,438 patients are recovering in home isolation, it said.

Jain had earlier said that the danger of Covid has subsided in the national capital and the situation is "quite under control".

On Friday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had proposed lifting the weekend curfew and ending the odd-even rule for opening shops, but Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal directed that status quo be maintained on the restrictions till the situation improves further.

The LG's office, however, approved the government's proposal to allow private offices to reopen with 50 per cent staff.

Labs giving real-time data to states, segregation of coronavirus patients on basis of districts and assembly constituencies are part of the SOPs laid down by the Delhi government.

In an order issued last week, the Health Department stated that it has prepared SOPs for Covid-care centres which also listed out guidelines to be followed for telecalling patients.

Under the SOPs, labs have been directed to give real-time data within 20 hours to the State COVID-19 Response Centre.

They have been directed to segregate cases on the basis of districts, assembly names and wards, etc.