As many as 5,481 fresh cases of Covid-19 -- highest since May 16 last year, have been reported in Delhi on Tuesday with a positivity rate climbing to 8.37 per cent, according to the Health department bulletin. Three people succumbed to the infection in the last 24 hours. Today's fresh cases pushed the tally of active cases to 14,889 in the city.
The national capital had recorded 6,456 fresh Covid-19 cases and 262 fatalities on May 16 last year. The positivity rate at that time stood at 10.4 per cent. Tuesday's positivity rate is the highest since May 17, when it stood at 8.42 per cent.
READ MORE: Weekend curfew imposed in Delhi; metros and buses to ply with full capacity
Delhi has seen a spurt of Covid-19 cases in recent days. The resurgence, triggered by the new highly-transmissible Omicron variant, prompted the government to impose a weekend curfew and work from home for offices among other measures to flatten the curve.
According to the Health Department, a total of 531 patients are currently admitted to different hospitals, including 41 who are suspected to have contracted the disease. Fourteen patients are on ventilator support, while 168 patients with moderate symptoms are on oxygen support. 8,593 people are in home isolation. Currently, more than 8,500 hospital beds are vacant in the city.
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The health department said that 1.85 lakh vaccine doses were administered in the last 24 hours. This included 92,928 beneficiaries vaccinated with the first dose and 92,667 with the second dose. Cumulative doses provided so far in the national capital is 2,66,57,832 (1,53,59,453 with first dose and 1,12,98,379 with second dose).
Earlier today, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia while addressing an online press conference said that there will be a curfew on Saturdays and Sundays and requested people to step out only when it is absolutely necessary.
During weekdays, he said, government employees, barring those engaged in essential services, will be asked to work from home, while private offices will remain open with 50 per cent capacity. He said that buses and metros will return to running to their full seating capacity throughout the week as the government feared that bus stops and metro stations could become super spreaders after the seating capacity had been halved and long queues were seen at such places.
On December 28, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) had declared a 'yellow alert' after the positivity rate crossed the 0.5 per cent mark, and closed down cinemas and gyms.
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