Delhi reported seven Covid-related fatalities for the second consecutive day on Thursday.
New Delhi:
Delhi has recorded at least 40 COVID 19 related deaths from April 19 to 27, with experts saying the infection is getting severe mostly in elderly patients and those with co-morbidities.
Medical experts also said that though the number of daily cases in absolute numbers is still not low, the count needs to be monitored over the next few days before one can say whether a downward trend has started.
Delhi on Thursday reported seven Covid-related fatalities for the second consecutive day and 865 new cases of the viral disease with a positivity rate of 16.9 per cent.
With the new cases and deaths, the national capital’s Covid caseload has mounted to 20,37,061, while the death toll stands at 26,620, according to data shared by the city government’s health department.
The department said in a bulletin that out of the seven deaths reported on Thursday, the primary cause of death was COVID-19 in three cases.
On Wednesday, Delhi recorded 1,040 cases with a positivity rate of 21.16 per cent and seven fatalities, with Covid being the primary cause of death in three cases.
During the period April 19–27, the city’s health department did not issue a bulletin on April 21.
In this period, the city recorded six Covid-related deaths each on April 19, 22 and 25.
As on April 19, Delhi recorded 1,757 cases with a positivity rate of 28.63 per cent, according to official data.
As on April 20, the city witnessed 1,603 cases with a positivity rate of 26.75 per cent and three Covid-related deaths.
The daily case tally was 1,515 on April 22, which fell to 948 on April 23 when the city saw a positivity rate of 25.69 per cent and two fatalities.
As per official data, the national capital on Monday recorded 689 cases with a positivity rate of 29.42 per cent and three Covid-related deaths.
In the period April 19-27, excluding April 21, the total number of deaths was 40.
Dr. Suranjit Chatterjee, a senior consultant at Apollo Hospital here, said, “Deaths are happening but mostly elderly patients and other sick people are getting seriously infected.”
Dr Chatterjee explained, “The younger population, in their late 20s to 40s, have symptoms, but they are not becoming severe or life-threatening. Currently around 13-14 Covid patients are admitted in our hospital, but they are stable.” PTI.
Asked if there is a downward trend in daily cases, he said, “We will have to see the number of cases in the next four-five days. If it remains less than what was reported on Thursday, then one can say.” There may be a downward trend.” started.”
The bulletin said the 865 cases reported on Thursday emerged from 5,117 tests, including 3,599 RT-PCR or CBNAAT or TrueNat tests, conducted on the previous day to detect the infection.
The number of active cases of infection in Delhi was 4,279 on Thursday. The bulletin states that 3,143 of these patients are in home isolation.
Data shows that out of 7,974 Covid-19 beds in the national capital, only 296 are currently occupied.
Other experts also supported Dr Chatterjee and said that the young population is not being severely affected by the infection this time, which could be a result of “hybrid immunity” drawn from previous Covid episodes and vaccinations.
Dr Chatterjee said, “Many people have fever for three-four days, but cough, body aches and joint pain persist for weeks, as seen during the waves in 2020-2022.”
The number of Covid cases in Delhi dropped to zero on 16 January for the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic. However, the city has seen a spurt in cases in the last month.
On 11 April, a mock drill was conducted in Delhi hospitals to ascertain their preparedness to deal with any eventuality.
Medical experts have said that the Omicron sub-variant XBB.1.16 could trigger a surge in cases in the city.
However, he has said that there is no need to panic and people should follow Covid-appropriate behavior and take their booster shots.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)