New Delhi: The national capital recorded 7,340 COVID-19 cases in a day taking the infection tally to over 4.82 lakh on Saturday, while 96 more fatalities during the same period pushed the death toll in the city to 7,519, authorities said.
These fresh cases were detected from 49,645 tests, including 19,635 RT-PCR ones and 30,010 by rapid antigen tests, conducted the previous day. The positivity rate in the city was 14.78 per cent amid festivities and rising pollution, according to a bulletin issued by the Delhi health department.
The highest single-day spike of 8,593 cases was recorded on Wednesday and 85 fatalities were recorded that day. On November 12, the number of fatalities was 104, the highest in over five months.
On Saturday, 96 more fatalities were recorded, pushing the death toll in the national capital to 7,519, the bulletin said.
The tally of active cases in the national capital on Saturday rose to 44,456 from 44,329 the previous day. According to the bulletin, the total number of cases has reached 4,82,170, while recovery rate stood at over 89 per cent.
The number of containment zones in Delhi increased to 4,288 on Saturday from 4,184 on Friday.
The sudden spike in cases comes amid festive season and rising pollution level. While Durga Puja celebrations ended on October 25, Diwali was on Saturday and Chhath after six days.
The National Centre for Disease Control, in a report drafted recently, had warned that Delhi needs to be prepared for about 15,000 fresh cases of COVID-19 per day taking into account the winter season-related respiratory problems, large influx of patients from outside and festive gatherings.
Of the total 16,636 beds in COVID hospitals, 7,959 are vacant, the bulletin stated, adding 227 beds in COVID care centres are occupied by people under quarantine, including travellers who have returned by Vande Bharat Mission and bubble flights.
The Delhi government has significantly ramped up testing in the past few days, with the count on several times crossing the 60,000-mark. The number of tests done per million, as on Friday was over 2.85 lakh while the total number of tests stood at over 54 lakh.
The bulletin stated that 4,30,195 patients have recovered, been discharged or migrated so far. The number of people in home isolation increased to 27,428 on Saturday from 26,741 the previous day.
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