Covid Surge: Delhi Reports 15 Deaths In 12 Days, Over 5,000 Cases

Amid rising cases of Covid-19, 15 coronavirus-related deaths have been reported in the national capital in the last 12 days, according to official data.
    
In one of these 15 fatalities, Covid was the primary cause while in the rest of the cases, Covid was "incidental", according to data shared by the city health department.
    
In the March 30-April 10 periods, 15 fatalities have been recorded, including four deaths on April 9.
    
More than 5,500 cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in the last two weeks, while the active cases tally has risen by 150 per cent in the same period, according to official data.
    
Meanwhile, mock drills were conducted at various hospitals in Delhi on Tuesday to check Covid-19 preparedness.
    
Delhi reported 699 cases of COVID-19 and four deaths on Sunday, 484 cases with a positivity rate of 26.58 per cent, and three fatalities on Monday.
    
Delhi recorded 535 Covid cases on Saturday with a positivity rate of 23.05 per cent.
    
The city had logged 733 Covid cases -- the highest in over seven months -- on Friday with a positivity rate of 19.93 per cent. The national capital recorded 620 cases on August 26.
    
On April 5, Delhi logged 509 cases with a positivity rate of 26.54 per cent, the highest in nearly 15 months. In January last year, the positivity rate had touched the 30-per cent mark.
     
Delhi has witnessed a spurt in the number of fresh Covid infections over the last several days amid a sharp rise in H3N2 influenza cases in the country.
     
The Delhi government is keeping an eye on the spurt in Covid cases in the national capital and is "prepared to face any eventuality", Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said recently.
    
The national capital logged 606 Covid cases on Thursday, the highest in over seven months, with a positivity rate of 16.98 per cent. The city recorded 620 cases on August 26.
    
According to data shared by the city government's health department, the active cases tally on Monday stood at 2,338, a jump of 150 per cent since March 30 when the corresponding figure was 932.
    
In the March 30-April 10 periods, 15 fatalities have been recorded, including three on April 10, and two each on April 3 and April 7.
    
According to the health department's bulletin shared over these days, "Covid finding was incidental" in all the death cases reported from March 30-April 8, and April 10.
    
On April 9, of the four Covid-related deaths recorded in Delhi, only in one case Covid was the primary cause, and in the other three deaths, "Covid was incidental", according to the bulletin shared on that day. The positivity rate too has seen a rise in the past week.
    
The city saw 295 cases on March 30 and zero fatalities. The positivity rate stood at 12.48 per cent.
    
As of Monday, the city's Covid-19 death toll stood at 26,543, while the Delhi infection tally has risen to 20,15,121. The data showed that 1,821 Covid tests were conducted on Sunday.
     
After March 30, the daily cases count grew to 416 on April 1, and 429 on April 2. The city saw 521 cases on April 4 and 509 on April 5. The total number of cases logged in the March 30-April 10 period stands at 5,520.
    
Amid a gradual increase in the number of Covid cases in Delhi, medical experts say the new XBB.1.16 variant of the virus could be driving the surge.
    
However, they maintained that there is no need to panic and people should follow Covid-appropriate behaviour and get booster shots of vaccines.
     
They also said this rise in the number of cases could be the result of more people getting themselves tested for Covid as a precaution when they get infected with the influenza virus and develop fever and related symptoms.
    
The Indian Council of Medical Research has said the rise in the number of influenza cases is due to the Influenza A sub-type H3N2.
    
The H3N2 virus is leading to more hospitalisation than the other subtypes. The symptoms include a runny nose, persistent cough, and fever.