758 new cases, lowest since August 16
New Delhi: Delhi has recorded 758 fresh COVID-19 cases, the lowest in over four months, and 30 new fatalities even as the positivity rate dipped to 0.88 per cent, authorities said Friday.
The infection tally in the city mounted to over 6.21 lakh and death toll rose to 10,414, they said, adding that over 85,000 tests were conducted the previous day.
This is also the lowest positive rate in over eight months. The previous low being 0.99 per cent on December 23.
From December 21-23, the daily case count had been below the 1000-mark. On Monday, 803 cases were reported, the lowest since August 17; on Tuesday 939 cases were reported and 871 on Wednesday.
However, on Thursday 1,063 cases were recorded, dropping again on Friday.
These 758 cases were diagnosed following the 85,749 tests conducted the previous day, including 45,521 RT-PCR tests and 40,228 rapid antigen tests, according to the latest bulletin issued by the Delhi health department.
On August 17, Delhi had recorded 787 cases, and 652 on August 16.
The active cases tally on Friday dropped to 7,267 from 7,909 on Thursday.
The bulletin said the total number of cases has climbed to 6,21,439.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday had said that the Delhi government is fully prepared to receive, store and administer COVID-19 vaccine to 51 lakh priority category persons in the city in the first phase of vaccination.
He said his government is all set to start the vaccination drive as soon as it
gets the vaccine from the Centre, and registration is underway for people in three priority categories who will receive it first.
Asked about the charges for the vaccine, and if it will be free of cost, a senior official in the Chief Minister's Office
said the government has not taken any decision in this regard so far.
Amid mounting concern over a new strain of the virus detected in the UK, the Delhi government on Tuesday had said people who have arrived here recently from that country, are being traced and tested, while an institutional quarantine facility was being set up separately for positive cases at the LNJP Hospital.
