Delhi likely to record 20,000 fresh Covid cases with positivity rate of 19 pc: Satyendar Jain

Delhi is likely to record around 20,000 COVID-19 cases on Saturday with a positivity rate of around 19 per cent, Health Minister Satyendar Jain said.

He said till now there has been no Omicron variant-related death in the national capital.

Jain said most of the patients who succumbed to coronavirus infection on Thursday had comorbidities.

"The hospital admissions are lower this time and the severity of infection is lower as well. Delhi will see around 20,000 cases with a positivity rate of 19 per cent today," he told reporters.

Maintaining that the city government is well prepared, he said infrastructure has been augmented keeping in mind the high number of Covid cases.

"Currently hospital admissions are less. Earlier, when Delhi had 17,000 cases, the deaths were more than 200 on a daily basis but the deaths are lower this time. People are coming to hospitals for treatment of other disease and are being found positive (for Covid)," he said.

Jain reiterated that the high number of coronavirus infections is due to the increasing number of tests being conducted in the national capital.

"Nearly a lakh tests are being conducted on a daily basis. So the number of cases is proportional to the tests being conducted," he added.

He urged people to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour and wear face masks while stepping out, adding they are more effective than implementing a lockdown.

Delhi on Friday recorded 17,335 fresh Covid cases, the highest single-day rise since May 8, and nine deaths, while the positivity rate mounted to 17.73 per cent, according to data shared by the city's health department.