Delhi records highest daily spike in 2021 with 800 Covid cases in 24 hours

Delhi reported over 800 COVID-19 cases for the first time this year on Saturday as the positivity rate breached the 1 per cent-mark after over two months, while two more fatalities pushed the death toll to 10,955, as per data shared by the health department.

The number of active cases rose to 3,409 from 3,165 a day ago, according to the latest health bulletin.

The new 813 cases pushed the infection tally to 6,47,161, of whom over 6.32 lakh people have recovered till date.

On Friday, the city had recorded 716 cases while the count on Thursday was 607 and 536 on Wednesday.

The two new fatalities took the toll to 10,955, while the positivity rate rose to 1.07 per cent from 0.93 per cent on Friday, the bulletin said.

Delhi had recorded 425 cases on Tuesday. The cases have been steadily rising over the last few days. The positivity rate had been hovering below the 1 per cent-mark for over two months.

A total of 77,888 tests, including 46,292 RT-PCR and 29,596 rapid antigen, were conducted on Friday, while the number of people under home isolation on Saturday rose to 1,722 from 1,624 a day ago, the bulletin said.

Health experts and doctors have attributed this sudden rise in COVID-19 cases to people turning complacent, not following COVID-19 appropriate behaviour and assuming all is well now.

A total of 585 cases were reported on January 1 and 424 on January 3. The daily count had dropped to 306 on January 11 and risen again to 386 on January 12, according to official figures.

The numbers had started to come down in February. On February 26, the month's highest daily count of 256 cases was recorded.

Asserting that the recent rise in COVID-19 cases in the national capital was not a cause for worry, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said Thursday the city government had directed officials for stricter tracking, tracing and isolation of cases.