Covid Cases Rising In The Capital As Delhi CM Tests Positive

New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on January 3,  said he has tested positive for COVID-19 and isolated himself at home.The chief minister urged people who came in contact with him in the last few days to quarantine and get tested.

I have tested positive for Covid. Mild symptoms. Have isolated myself at home. Those who came in touch wid (with) me in last few days, kindly isolate urself (yourself) and get urself tested, Mr Kejriwal tweeted.

This comes after the minister on Sunday said though the capital is witnessing a sharp spike in the number of daily cases and active cases of coronavirus, there is no need to panic as most patients are asymptomatic or have very mild symptoms and do not need hospitalisation. He presented data to show that despite an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases, oxygen bed occupancy is less than one per cent in hospitals and is very low as compared to the deadly second wave of coronavirus in April last year.

Also Read: COVID-19: WHO Chief Scientist Calls For An Urgent Ramping Up Of Teleconsultation Services To Tackle The Third Wave In India

Currently, the number of active cases in the city is 6,360 and today (Sunday) 3,100 new cases are expected to be reported. All cases are mild and in most of them patients don’t need hospitalisation, the CM said in a virtual press conference. Active COVID-19 cases rose from about 2,000 on December 29, 2021 to 6,000 on January 1, but the number of patients in hospitals dipped during this period. On December 29, 2021 as many as 262 beds were occupied, while on January 1 it was only 247, he said.

According to the latest health bulletin, Mr Kejriwal said only 82 oxygen beds are occupied and 99.72 per cent are vacant.

There has been no major change in this number over the last three days which means no new patient required oxygen. If the need arises, the Delhi government is prepared with 37,000 such beds,  the chief minister said. On March 27 last year, Delhi had 6,600 active cases and 1,150 oxygen beds were occupied. As many as 145 patients were on ventilator support compared to five now,” he said.

Delhi would record around 10 deaths a day during that period. At present, the daily fatality count is zero or one, he said. The capital reported 2,716 cases on Saturday, the highest single-day rise since May 21, and the positivity rate mounted to 3.64 per cent.  On April 1, when the city last logged around 2,700 cases, around 1,700 oxygen beds were occupied and 231 patients were on ventilator support, he said.

Also Read: COVID-19: Vaccination For 15-18 Age Group Starts Today Amid Covid Surge

I am presenting this data to show that the coronavirus cases at present are very mild and there is no need to panic. We have to act responsibly, wear masks, wash hands regularly and follow social distancing norms, Mr Kejriwal said.

On Saturday, Health Minister Satyendar Jain had said that hospital occupancy is still low and further restrictions will be reviewed soon.

While the emergence of the new Omicron variant has sparked fears of a third wave, there has been a constant surge in the COVID-19 tally in the national capital which recorded 7,865 cases in the last seven days. The positivity rate has risen to 3.64 per cent from 0.55 per cent on December 26.The city on Saturday recorded 351 cases of Omicron.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity,  that is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.