Delhi's Third Covid-19 Wave 'On The Wane', Testing Over 70,000 People Daily, Says Satyendar Jain

According to the health minister, with over 70,000 tests per day, Delhi is conducting the highest number of tests per million in the country.

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New Delhi: Satyendar Jain, Health Minister of Delhi, on Friday told the media that as the positivity rate has been below 5 per cent for the last ten days in a row the third wave of Covid-19 is dwindling in the Union Territory. “The third wave of Covid-19 in Delhi is going down. We can now say that the peak was on November 7 when a positivity rate of 15.26per cent was recorded. Now, the positivity rate has remained below 5 per cent for ten days,” he told the media. According to the health minister, with over 70,000 tests per day, Delhi is conducting the highest number of tests per million in the country. With over 3,30,201 tests by November end, the capital recorded the highest number of tests per million of the population. The national average stood at 1,00,159 tests per million. “Currently, the situation seems to be under control. But, people need to continue wearing masks and maintaining social distance. It is because people of Delhi have cooperated that we are seeing this result. I also want to thank the healthcare workers who have worked day and night,” the minister said. According to reports, the national capital has tested over 71,741 samples on an average during December, while the average in November stood at 53,579. Out of the total tests conducted, half of them were done using the more accurate RT-PCR method. After Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal led delegation met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in mid-November, the number of RT-PCR tests ramped up in the UT. “I agree that the reports for the RT-PCR tests, which should be given within 24 hours, are getting delayed in some places and we are trying to strengthen it. When we met with the Centre, we were asked to double RT-PCR testing. We doubled our testing, but the reports were getting delayed. Now, the situation is improving,” said Jain. Meanwhile, Delhi in the last 24-hours recorded 1,575 new cases of Covid-19, 3,307 recoveries, and 61 new deaths. In the current tally, the capital city now has recorded more than six lakh cases, around 5.75 lakh people recovered from the disease, and 9,874 succumbed to the pandemic.