Positivity rate dips to 8.4%; 5,246 new cases

New Delhi: Showing some signs of the third wave of COVID-19 ebbing, Delhi on Wednesday reported a daily positivity rate of 8.49 per cent — the first time it has dipped below 10 per cent in months - as it reported 5,246 cases emerging out of the 61,778 tests conducted in the last 24 hours.

Moreover, the RT-PCR to rapid antigen ratio is fast improving with over 26,000 of these tests conducted through the former method — considered the gold standard for diagnosing COVID-19.

Daily deaths also came down to below 99 on Wednesday after consecutive days of reporting over 100 deaths. The death toll from the virus here has now reached 8,720.

Health Minister Satyendar Jain urged people to take proper precautions as the third wave was yet to subside. "The spread can be curbed if both, the ones who are covid positive and the ones who are not, wear a mask," he said.

"An interesting observation is that the lowest positivity rate is of the staff at Delhi's covid hospitals. We are undergoing the third wave and hopefully, all shall be fine soon," Jain

added.

He added that the Capital has "least fatality per million" amongst the four metro cities in the country. The minister went on to compare Delhi's fatality rate with Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai and said that the AAP-led Delhi Government will try to save each life.

Jain on Twitter wrote, "Delhi has least fatality per million amongst all 4 metro cities in India. There are 860 deaths per million in Mumbai , in Kolcutta 562, in Chennai 538 whereas in Delhi 435 deaths per million. We will do our best to save each and every life (sic)."

Meanwhile, authorities in Gurugram and Noida have been advised by Central experts to increase RT-PCR testing, strengthen contact tracing to ensure at least 10 contacts for every positive case is tracked down. They have also been advised to hospitalise all symptomatic patients above 60 years

of age.