Delhi's COVID-19 cases breached the 200 mark for the first time since September last year on Tuesday, while the positivity rate climbed to 11.82 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department.
The national capital recorded 214 fresh cases of the viral disease on Tuesday. Delhi recorded 115 fresh coronavirus cases with a positivity rate of 7.45 per cent on Monday.
The city logged 153 cases with a positivity rate of 9.13 per cent on Sunday and 139 cases with a positivity rate of 4.98 per cent on Saturday. It saw 152 cases with a positivity rate of 6.66 per cent on Friday and 117 cases with a positivity rate of 4.95 per cent on Thursday.
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Delhi has witnessed an increase in the number of fresh Covid cases over the last few days amid a sharp rise in the figure of H3N2 influenza cases in the country. The number of fresh cases had seen a decline over the last few months in Delhi. It had dropped to zero on January 16, the first time since the pandemic broke out.
With the fresh cases, Delhi's COVID-19 tally has increased to 20,09,061, while the death toll due to the viral infection stands at 26,524. The data also showed that 1,811 Covid tests were conducted on Monday.Forty-six of the 7,985 beds are occupied in the dedicated COVID-19 hospitals in the city, while 410 patients are in home isolation, the health department said.
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The number of active cases of the infection in the national capital currently stands at 538, it added. Amid a gradual increase in the number of Covid cases in Delhi, medical experts say the new XBB.1.16 variant of the virus could be driving the surge. However, they maintain that there is no need to panic and people should follow Covid-appropriate behaviour and get booster shots of the vaccines.
They also say this rise in the number of cases could be a result of more people getting themselves tested for Covid as a precaution when they actually get infected with the influenza virus and develop fever and related symptoms.
Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj had said there were not many influenza cases in the city hospitals and the situation was being monitored closely. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has said the rise in the number of influenza cases is due to the Influenza A sub-type H3N2 virus.
The H3N2 virus is leading to more hospitalisations than the other sub-types. The symptoms include a runny nose, persistent cough and fever.
