Covid-19 Rise: 'Wear Mask, Don't Go Out,' Warns Delhi Minister

As India sees a spike in Covid-19 cases, Delhi Health Minister asked people with flu-like symptoms to wear masks and avoid public places.

New Delhi: Amid a spike in Covid-19 cases across the country, Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Monday said that the coronavirus infections in the national capital are expected to rise in the coming days. Speaking to reporters, the senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader also asked people with flu-like symptoms to wear masks and avoid public places.

"Delhi is a densely populated city. Cases will rise and many people will exhibit flu-like and influenza-like symptoms such as fever and cough. But they will recover," Saurabh Bharadwaj said.

He said that people with such symptoms should not venture out in public places. 

"If at all one has to go to such places then one should wear a mask and observe other safety norms so that they don't end up infecting others," the Delhi health minister said.

Those who are ill or have weak immunity, should not venture out of their homes frequently and should avoid crowded places, he added.

Referring to the April 7 meeting between the Centre and states over the country's Covid-19 situation, Bharadwaj said that according to experts, XBB 1.16, which is currently the most prevalent coronavirus variant, is not causing severe disease.

"We are conducting genome sequencing of all positive samples. Till now, we have seen that samples have been found with either XBB.1.6 or its sub-variants... Cases are increasing in Delhi. It is usually seen that cases increase, hit a plateau and then start declining. At this point, the city is seeing a spurt in cases," he said.

Delhi's Covid positivity rate at 21.15%

Delhi on Sunday recorded 699 new Covid-19 cases which took the capital's positivity rate to 21.15 per cent. With the fresh cases, Delhi's coronavirus tally has now risen to 20,14,637, while the death toll stands at 26,540. 

Delhi, which currently has 2,460 active cases, had seen 535 infections on Saturday with a positivity rate of 23.05 per cent.

The capital logged 733 cases -- the highest in more than seven months -- on Friday with a positivity rate of 19.93 per cent.

On Thursday, 606 cases were recorded with a positivity rate of 16.98 per cent.

Delhi has witnessed a spurt in the number of fresh Covid infections over the last fortnight amid a sharp rise in H3N2 influenza cases in the country.

The number of fresh cases had dropped to zero on January 16, the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic.

The Health Department on Sunday said 136 of the 7,989 beds in dedicated Covid hospitals in the city are occupied while 1,634 patients are in home isolation.