Delhi on Wednesday recorded 27,561 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, the second highest since the pandemic broke out in early 2020, PTI reported. On April 20, during the second wave of the pandemic, Delhi had recorded 28,395 infections.
The city reported 40 deaths on Wednesday, the highest in a day since June 10. The positivity rate also rose to 26.22% from Tuesday’s rate of 25.65%. Delhi currently has 87,445 active cases, of which 2,363 patients are in hospitals and health care centres. As many as 613 patients are in intensive care unit wards, while 91 are on ventilator support, government data showed.
Earlier on Wednesday, Health Minister Satyendra Jain had claimed that coronavirus cases have plateaued in the Capital. He had said that restrictions in Delhi will be lifted if the cases reduce in the next two to three days.
Meanwhile, Bengaluru recorded 15,617 new Covid-19 cases – an alarming 44% jump from Tuesday’s count of 10,800 infections.
Overall, Karnataka logged 21,390 new cases and reported a positivity rate of 10.96%. There are 93,009 active cases in the state of which 73,000 were present in Bengaluru alone. Of the 10 deaths in Karnataka in the last 24 hours, six were reported in Bengaluru.
On Tuesday, the Karnataka government had decided to extend the coronavirus restrictions till the end of January amid rise in cases. Schools are also likely to be shut down in all districts where coronavirus cases are rising, according to NDTV.
The uptick in cases are being witnessed in several places in the country. At a press briefing on Wednesday evening, the Union health ministry said that 300 districts in India were reporting a weekly case positivity of over 5% and that Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Gujarat were emerging as states of concern.
Other states
West Bengal recorded 22,155 coronavirus cases, pushing the overall infection tally to 18,17,585, reported ANI. The positivity rate fell to 30.86% from Tuesday’s 32.35%.
Wednesday’s infection count was marginally higher by 5% than Tuesday’s count of 21,098. The toll increased by 23 to 19,959. There are 1,61,251 active cases in the state.
As many as 3,527 patients are admitted to hospitals, while 1,12,492 have been put in home isolation. Only 6.11% of 23,497 beds earmarked for coronavirus patients are currently occupied.
Kolkata alone reported 7,060 cases, while the city’s positivity rate was still 40.70%.
Tamil Nadu recorded 17,934 new coronavirus cases, taking the overall infection count to 28,47,589. With 19 deaths, the toll climbed to 36,905. There are 88,959 active cases in the state.
In Mumbai, 16,420 people tested positive for the coronavirus disease, taking the infection count in the city to 9,56,287. The toll climbed by seven to 16,420.
There are currently 1,02,282 active cases in Mumbai and 6,946 of 36,811 beds are occupied.
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