Delhi records 53 new Covid-19 cases, 1 death; positivity rate at 3.26%

Delhi recorded 53 fresh Covid cases with an increased positivity rate of 3.26 per cent and one death due to the disease on Monday, according to data shared by the health department.

With these new cases, the capital's infection tally climbed to 20,05,676 while the death toll stood at 26,508, the department said in its latest bulletin.

The new cases were detected from 1,625 tests conducted on Sunday, it said.

The Delhi government had on Thursday issued an order withdrawing the Rs 500 fine for not wearing masks in public places in the national capital.

Experts, however, said people, especially those in the vulnerable category like pregnant women and the elderly, should continue to wear masks in crowded areas.

Doctors at leading government and private hospitals in the city concurred that people should exercise "extra caution" because though cases in Delhi are on the lower side, a new variant of the coronavirus is being reported which is very transmissible.

The city on Sunday reported 87 COVID-19 cases with a positivity rate of 2.07 percent.

The government did not issue any health bulletin on Saturday and Friday.

The city logged 118 Covid cases with a positivity rate of 1.77 per cent on Thursday and 107 Covid cases with a positivity rate of 1.64 per cent on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the national capital saw 141 cases with a positivity rate of 2.04 per cent, while 61 cases with a positivity rate of 3.61 per cent were reported on Monday.

The number of active Covid cases in Delhi now stands at 385, the bulletin stated, adding 303 patients are under home isolation.

Of the 8,819 beds reserved for Covid patients in various city hospitals, 41 are occupied, it said. There are 48 containment zones in Delhi.

The number of daily cases in Delhi touched a record high of 28,867 on January 13 during the third wave of the pandemic.

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