Delhi may see about 17,000 cases today, dip in positivity rate: Health minister

NEW DELHI: JAN. 16 – Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain said the national capital is likely to see around 17,000 cases of COVID-19 on Sunday. In what may come as a further relief to the capital’s citizens, Jain said the case positivity rate is also likely to see a decline.

For the past two days, daily cases in Delhi have remained below the 28,000-mark. On Thursday, 28,867 cases of COVID-19 were recorded, the highest single-day spike since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020.

“About 17,000 COVID-19 cases expected today with case positivity also expected to decline; cases declining for the 3rd consecutive day if we see yesterday’s numbers. About 67,000 tests were done yesterday,” health minister Jain said on Sunday while speaking to reporters. Jain added that hospital admissions in Delhi have plateaued.

The health minister said restrictions imposed by the Delhi government have impacted the spread of COVID-19. “We will monitor the situation for three to four days before reviewing the curbs,” he added.

A day ago, Jain said the national capital reached its peak in infections and the government will roll back restrictions once daily cases decline to 15,000.

“We can say that Delhi has reached a peak in terms of cases. Cases have started slowing down. Let’s see when the decline happens,” he said.

No lockdown has been imposed in Delhi but the government has come up with a slew of restrictions to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Dine-in services in restaurants and bars are capped at 50 percent seating capacity during weekdays, while only takeaways are allowed during the weekend. Shops are opening on an odd-even basis and only 20 people are allowed to attend weddings and funerals.

Employees in both government and private sectors except those in essential and exempted services have been asked to work from home.

The nation’s capital caseload has climbed to 16,91,684 with a cumulative COVID-19 positivity rate of 4.98 percent. Nearly 1,58,000 patients have recuperated, 25,335 have died and the active cases stand at 93,407, according to the health department’s last updated bulletin.

-Hindustan Times