Danger of Covid-19 has subsided in Delhi, situation under control: Satyendar Jain

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said that after recording around 28,000 Covid infections last week, Delhi is now reporting a sharp decline in the number of daily cases and the positivity rate. The "grave danger of coronavirus has subsided in Delhi", he said.

New Delhi: Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Friday asserted that the danger of COVID-19 has subsided in the national capital and the situation is "quite under control".

He also said that the virus was the primary cause of death in only three of the 43 fatalities recorded the previous day. The national capital is expected to record 10,500 cases on Friday with a positivity rate of 17 to 18 per cent, Jain said.

Considering the dip in daily cases and the positivity rate, he said, the government has written to Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on withdrawing the weekend curfew, lifting the odd-even rule for the opening of shops and allowing private offices to operate at 50 per cent capacity.

"Experts had warned that Delhi can record one lakh cases daily during this wave but that danger has been averted. We will take a call on lifting of more restrictions within three-four days," the minister told reporters here.

Delhi has passed the peak of the ongoing wave of the pandemic, Jain said. He said that after recording around 28,000 Covid infections last week, Delhi is now reporting a sharp decline in the number of daily cases and the positivity rate. The "grave danger of coronavirus has subsided in Delhi", Jain said.

The city had recorded 28,867 COVID-19 cases last Thursday, the sharpest single-day spike since the beginning of the pandemic. The number then declined to 24,383 on Friday, 20,718 on Saturday, 18,286 on Sunday, 12,527 on Monday, 11,684 on Tuesday, 13,785 on Wednesday and 12,306 on Thursday.

The positivity rate stood at 30.6 per cent on Saturday, the highest in the ongoing wave of the pandemic so far, 27.9 per cent on Sunday, 28 per cent on Monday, 22.5 per cent on Tuesday, 23.9 per cent on Wednesday and 21.5 per cent on Thursday.

"Of the 43 fatalities recorded on Thursday, coronavirus was the primary cause in only three," Health Minister Jain said.

The capital has reported 396 deaths due to the infection in January so far. According to officials, most of these patients had comorbidities and Covid was not the primary cause of death.