Delhi reports 735 fresh COVID-19 cases, 3 deaths; positivity rate rises to 4.35%

Delhi on Sunday reported 735 new COVID-19 cases and three deaths due to the disease while the positivity rate rose to 4.35 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department.

This was the third consecutive day that the national capital recorded over 600 cases and a positivity rate of more than 3 per cent.

With the new cases reported on Sunday, the city’s Covid case tally has increased to 19,12,798 while the death toll reached 26,221, the department said in its latest bulletin.

A total of 16,878 COVID-19 tests were conducted in the capital the previous day, it said.

The city had on Saturday reported 795 COVID-19 cases with a positivity rate of 4.11 per cent and zero death.

The positivity rate had gone past the 4 per cent-mark again after nearly a month. On May 10, the city had recorded 1,118 cases and one death with a positivity rate of 4.38 per cent.

Delhi had on Friday logged 655 COVID-19 cases and two fatalities, while the positivity rate was 3.11 per cent. The day before, the city’s Covid case tally increased by 622 and the death toll by two while the positivity rate was 3.17 per cent.

The number of daily COVID-19 cases in Delhi had touched the record high of 28,867 on January 13 this year during the third wave of the pandemic.

The city had recorded a positivity rate of 30.6 per cent on January 14, the highest during the third wave of the pandemic.

The number of active COVID-19 cases in Delhi increased to 2,442 from 2,247 on Saturday, the bulletin said.

As many as 1,613 patients are under home isolation, up from 1,360 the previous day, it said, adding that there are 180 containment zones in the city.

There are 9,587 beds for COVID-19 patients in Delhi hospitals and of those 100 are occupied, the bulletin said.

On Friday, experts said that people lowering their guard and travelling during the vacation season are the main reasons behind the latest increase in coronavirus cases in Delhi.