Delhi reports 414 Covid cases, positivity rate dips to 0.53%
Delhi on Saturday reported 414 new coronavirus cases, the lowest in over two-and-a-half months. With this, the tally of COVID-19 cases in the national capital has reached over 14.28 lakh, while the death toll mounted to 24,557. As many as 60 fatalities have been recorded in the last 24 hours, according to the latest bulletin issued by the Delhi health department. The COVID-19 positivity rate in the national capital stood at 0.53 percent.
According to a health bulletin issued by the Delhi government, 77,694 COVID-19 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours.
On Friday, the city had recorded 523 cases, 50 deaths and a positivity rate of 0.68 per cent. On Thursday, Delhi had recorded 487 cases of COVID-19 and 45 fatalities. This was the first time that the daily death count had gone below the 50-mark since April 11 when the tally was 48.
The positivity rate on Thursday was 0. 61 per cent. On March 16, Delhi had recorded 425 cases and on March 17, the tally was 536, according to official data.
Lockdown to remain in Delhi, markets, Metro to reopen
In the second phase of unlocking of Delhi after strict lockdown was imposed due to the deadly second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic on April 19, the Delhi administration on Saturday announced to restart markets, malls, Metro rail and some other public activities with certain conditions.
Shops in all markets in the city will be allowed to open with odd-even phases, which would be decided on the basis of shop's registration number. After the first phase of unlocking, Delhi's traders associations have been demanding to reopen markets phase wise.
Shops in all markets in Delhi will reopen on alternate day (odd-even basis), which will be decided on the basis of shop's number. However, the weekly market will remain shut till June 14.
In the first phase of unlocking, the Delhi government had allowed construction and manufacturing activities from last Monday.
With coronavirus cases declining in the national capital, some private hospitals here are seeing increase in non-Covid patients returning to medical facilities and conducting elective surgeries that were put on a backburner due to the raging pandemic.
Delhi has been reeling under a brutal second wave of the pandemic that is sweeping the country, claiming a massive number of lives daily, with the recent oxygen supply shortage issue at various hospitals, adding to the woes.
Since April 19, both daily cases and single-day death count had been spiralling up, with over 28,000 cases and 277 deaths recorded on April 20; rising to 306 fatalities on April 22. On May 3, the city registered a record 448 deaths, according to official data.
However, the number of cases have shown a downward trend and the positivity rate too has been shrinking in the last several days. The number of deaths per day has also been showing a decline in the last couple of days.
The case tally stands at 14,28,863 in the national capital, including 13,97,575 patients who have either been discharged or have migrated or recovered. The number of active cases is 6,731, of which 2,855 are in home isolation.
(With Inputs from agencies)
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