Delhi may have hit the COVID-19 peak: AIIMS Director

New Delhi, July 21: AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria said Delhi seems to have hit the peak after the capital has reported less than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases for the first time in seven weeks on Monday.

Guleria also cautioned against any laxity.

"My feeling is that certain areas have hit their peak. Delhi seems to have done so because the cases have declined significantly. But certain areas are yet to reach their peak. Cases are increasing in certain states. They will reach the peak later," Guleria said.

Delhi recorded 954 cases on Monday, according to a health department bulletin, which takes the total number of confirmed cases to 1,23,747. The number of active cases is 15,166.

According to data uploaded by hospitals on the Delhi government's Covid application, of the total 15,461 Covid-19 beds in government and private hospitals, 11,976 are vacant. Of the 1,178 ICU beds with ventilators, 456 are occupied.

According to the bulletin, the number of deaths from the virus infection in the capital risen to 3,663 with 35 fresh fatalities, and the total number of cases reached to 1,23,747.

The active cases have come down steadily over the last week, that brings the figure down to 15,166 which is the lowest in 44 days, while the recovery rate touched nearly 85 per cent.

For the last nine days, fresh cases were being reported in the range of 1,000-2,000.
"Amid this pandemic, the Delhi government led by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has successfully fought this battle," AAP's Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh said.

Kejriwal has led this battle from the front, Singh said.

Hitting back at Singh, Delhi BJP General-Secretary Rajesh Bhatia said the AAP is "running away" from its responsibilities.

"Now, they are saying there s community spread, if it is so what were they doing to stop it. The thing is COVID situation had gone out of Delhi government' hand and was brought under control by Union Home Minister Amit Shah," Bhatia said.

On June 23, Delhi reported the highest single-day spike of 3,947 till date.