Delhi: Total 40 UK returnees found positive for COVID so far

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A total of 40 people who recently arrived in Delhi from the UK have tested positive for COVID-19, the Health Department of the city government said on Saturday (January 2).

Delhi recorded 494 fresh COVID-19 cases on Saturday (January 2), the lowest in over seven months, and '14 new fatalities, even as the positivity rate stood at 0.73 per cent', authorities said.

"Even after reducing the availability of beds, 10,500-11,000 beds are still vacant. Only 2,000 beds are occupied at present," Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain was quoted as saying in a statement by the Delhi Health Department.

As far as the situation over the new strain of coronavirus is concerned, 40 cases have been traced in total, and have been admitted to the LNJP Hospital. "Along with this, four private hospitals too, have been authorised (for institutional isolation units). We are well aware and fully prepared to combat any situation," Jain said.

The statement did not mention if these two more cases were detected with the new strain or not.

Interacting with reporters on December 29, Jain had said a total of 38 people were found positive since coming to Delhi from the UK recently and were kept in a separate institutional isolation unit on the LNJP Hospital premises.

"Four such patients have been found infected with the new UK strain of COVID-19. The persons who came in their contact have been also traced and tested, and it's not in them. So, only these four cases of new strain are in Delhi so far," he had said.

Officials had later said that four persons with their addresses in Delhi and three having addresses of elsewhere, had been infected with the new strain, making a total of seven such cases.