New Delhi:
Delhi on Wednesday reported over 5,000 COVID-19 cases in a day, for the first time since the coronavirus struck the country. The national capital, which is battling the third wave of infections, has been logging over 4,000 cases daily for the last few days. With festive season round the corner, the unprecedented spike has raised concerns, especially when the national Covid tally has shown a steady decline.
According to a health department bulletin, the national capital recorded 5,673 fresh COVID-19 cases, the highest single-day spike till date, taking the total caseload to over 3.7 lakh.
Forty new fatalities were recorded in a day, pushing the death count in the national capital to 6,396, government said.
On Tuesday, Delhi reported 4,853 new coronavirus cases and 44 deaths, which was also its highest daily spike.
The COVID-19 figures in the national capital have been increasing rapidly. The number of fresh cases recorded on Monday stood at 2,832, and 4,136 on Sunday, while the figures were 4,116 on Saturday and 4,086 on Friday.
The 5,673 fresh cases on Wednesday came out of the 60,571 tests conducted the previous day, government data said.
The active cases tally today rose to 29,378 from 27,873 the previous day.
The Health Ministry has expressed its concern about the spike in Delhi’s cases and is expected to hold a meeting with top officials on Thursday to discuss prevention and suppression measures.
The unwanted record spike comes amid rising concern over a new wave of infections coinciding with an extended festive season and the onset of winter. Medical experts have suggested that the COVID-19 virus could become even deadlier as the temperature drops.
The increase in Covid cases has also been linked to worsening pollution in the national capital, which is preparing for its annual bout with “severe” and “hazardous” air quality levels.
India, which had been reporting close to one lakh cases daily till last month, has shown massive improvement in its coronavirus situation. Experts say the country has crossed its peak but have warned of a sharp spike in the festive season.
On Wednesday, India’s daily cases increased by 43,893, taking the country’s coronavirus tally close to the 80 lakh mark.
With inputs from PTI
