1,300 new Covid-19 cases; Delhi government says increase due to ‘outsiders’

NEW DELHI: Delhi reported 1,300 fresh Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours – second highest in the past 20 days – taking the total number of corona cases in the capital to 1,45,427. The death toll due to the viral infection climbed to 4,111 with 13 fatalities.
After dipping as low as 613 on July 27 and hovering around 1,000 for several days, the number of Covid cases has started rising for the past few days.As many as 1,404 cases were reported on Saturday.
Health minister Satyendar Jain has attributed the recent hike in Covid-19 cases to “patients from outside getting tested in the capital.” “Many patients from outside the city are getting tested here and that is why there is a rise in the number of cases. There is otherwise a decline in the cases,” Jain told reporters.
The minister added that hospital admissions have also increased because of the patients coming from outside Delhi.
According to sources, many people being tested through rapid antigen and RT-PCR tests, especially in areas close to Delhi’s borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, hail from the nearby areas outside the capital.
The number of tests being conducted every day in the city rose to 23,787 (5,702 RT-PCR and 18,085 rapid antigen tests), which was far lower during the previous weekends. On August 2, 8,441 rapid antigen tests and 4,289 RT-PCR tests were conducted. So far, a total of 11,92,082 tests, including rapid antigen and RT-PCR, have been conducted.
According to the health bulletin, 1,225 persons recovered from the coronavirus on Sunday, taking the total number of recovered persons to 1,30,587. The rate of recovery in Delhi has been constantly rising.
Due to the high rate of recovery, the number of occupancies in the hospitals is falling. Of the 13,527 Covid beds available in the government and private hospitals, 10,443 beds were vacant on Sunday. Out of 10,146 beds in Covid care centres, 6,643 beds are vacant, while 382 of the 554 beds are vacant in dedicated Covid health centres.
The pressure on the hospitals has reduced due to home isolation facilities being opted by more and more people. As of Sunday, 5,462 persons are under home isolation in the city.