1,094 Covid cases, 2 deaths in Delhi in a day

New Delhi, Apr 23: Delhi logged 1,094 fresh Covid cases with a positivity rate of 4.97 per cent while two persons died due to the infection, according to data shared by the city health department on Saturday.

A total of 19,82,414 tests were conducted in the city a day ago, the data showed.

With the national capital seeing a spurt in COVID-19 cases in the past few days, the number of active cases has increased to 3,705 from 601 on April 11.

However, the hospitalisation rate has so farbeen low, accounting for less than three per cent of the total active cases, according to data.

There are 79 COVID-19 patients admitted to hospitals in Delhi at present, while 2,532 are recuperating in home isolation.

Of the 9,489 beds available for Covid patients in various hospitals, just 101 (1.60 per cent) are occupied.

In the wake of rising cases, the Delhi government on Friday issued an order directing authorities to impose a fine of Rs 500 on people not wearing masks in public places.

However, the fine will not apply to people travelling together in private four-wheelers, it said.

The government had lifted the fine for not wearing a mask on April 12 because of the decline in cases.

The decision to bring back the mask mandate in public places and impose a fine of Rs 500 on violators came at a meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), which devises Covid management policies for the national capital, on Wednesday.

The city health department said on Thursday Delhi has started providing free COVID-19 precautionary doses to beneficiaries in the 18-59 age group at government vaccination centres.

Delhi has also started genome sequencing of samples of all Covid infected people to ascertain if a new variant, such as the XE, has spread in the city.