Gopal Rai tests +ve; 5,475 new cases reported

New delhi: Delhi on Thursday reported 5,475 fresh COVID-19 cases as the number of RT-PCR tests crossed the 28,000-mark, while 91 more fatalities pushed the city's death toll to 8,811, authorities said. The positivity rate was 8.65 per cent.

As many as 63,266 tests, including 28,897 RT-PCR ones — the highest till date for the city — and 34,369 rapid antigen tests were conducted the previous day for the detection of COVID-19, according to a bulletin issued by the Delhi health department on Thursday.

The tally of active cases in Delhi was 38,734, up from 38,287 on Wednesday. The number of COVID-19 containment zones in Delhi rose to 5,156 on Thursday from 4,980 on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, results from the massive door-to-door survey in the city's containment zones showed that around 6.64 per cent of the over 57 lakh people surveyed were positive for the contagious disease.

The five-day survey covered Delhi containment zones and densely populated areas. A total of 13,560 symptomatic people were identified in it, of which 11,790 were tested. Around 8,413 contacts of these symptomatic people were traced, of which 6,456 were tested, officials said.

The RT-PCR test reports of a total of 18,336 symptomatic cases and their contacts gave up 1,178 positive results, a Delhi government official said.

The survey data showed that the highest number of symptomatic people (3,796) were found in the south-west district followed by east Delhi (2,744), north-west (1,957) and west (1,330). The maximum positive cases (288) were found in the Central district followed by 275 in New Delhi, 197 in West, 196 in south-west and 118 in south-east Delhi.

Meanwhile, Environment Minister Gopal Rai has become the most recent member of the Delhi Cabinet to have been diagnosed with COVID-19. He has been admitted to the Max Saket facility for treatment.

The door-to-door survey for identifying and testing symptomatic COVID-19 patients will continue in Delhi with a focus on those aged above 50 years and having comorbidities, officials said, adding all SDMs had been directed to continue it.

"We have been directed to continue the survey to cover buffer areas adjoining containment zones and vulnerable pockets," a senior officer in the north-east district said.