Covid Positivity Rate Not Low Enough To Relax Restrictions: Delhi Health Min Satyendra Jain

The Health Minister said the positivity rate is, however, not low enough that Covid-19 restrictions can be relaxed in Delhi.

Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain | File Photo: Getty Images

New Delhi: Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain on Wednesday said the positivity rate in the national capital has come down from 30% to 22.5%, adding the total number of cases has also decreased.

The Health Minister said the positivity rate is, however, not low enough that Covid-19 restrictions can be relaxed in Delhi.

Jain said there is not much occupancy in hospitals and beds are also vacant, ANI reported.

“We are doing more testing in Delhi. Today around 24% positivity rate will come with around 13,000 Covid cases,” he added.

Earlier on Tuesday, Delhi recorded 11,684 fresh cases and 38 more deaths due to Covid-19.

Delhi currently has over 78,000 active Covid-19 cases, of which 2,730 are hospitalised.

The Union Health Ministry has asked the states and Union Territories to enhance testing so that an effective track of the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic can be kept and immediate citizen-centric action can be initiated.

Union Health Ministry Additional Secretary Arti Ahuja has in a letter advised the states and Union Territories to pay attention to this aspect immediately and increase the testing in a strategic manner keeping in view the trend of case positivity in specific areas.

India’s active caseload, according to the Union Health Ministry, currently stands at 18,31,000.

The active cases stand at 4.83%, while the recovery rate is 93.88% currently.

Around 1,88,157 people recovered in the last 24 hours, increasing the total recoveries to 3,55,83,039.

The ministry said 2,82,970 new cases were recorded in the last 24 hours.

“8,961 total Omicron cases detected so far, an increase of 0.79% since yesterday,” the ministry added.

The daily positivity rate is 15.13%, while the weekly positivity rate stands at 15.53%.

With the administration of more than 76 lakh vaccine doses in the last 24 hours, India’s Covid-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 158.88 crore.