In the past 19 days, Delhi has reported over 13,200 cases of COVID-19. From March 30 to April 17, active coronavirus cases in Delhi have jumped more than 430%. On Monday, the active case count stood at 4,976, a jump of nearly 433% since March 30 when the corresponding figure was 932. Although Delhi has seen a spike in coronavirus cases recently, hospitalization remains low. Experts have said that there is no need to panic and people should follow COVID-appropriate behavior and get booster shots of vaccines.
Delhi logged 1,017 COVID-19 cases on Monday, while the positivity rate jumped to 32.25%, the highest in 15 months. Delhi’s COVID-19 tally climbed to 20,24,244 on Monday, with four new fatalities pushing the death toll to 26,567. The spurt in the number of fresh COVID infections came amid a sharp rise in H3N2 influenza cases in the country. The Delhi government is keeping an eye on the spurt in COVID cases in the national capital and is “prepared to face any eventuality,” Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said recently. Mock drills were conducted at various hospitals in Delhi on April 11 to check COVID-19 preparedness, following guidelines from the Centre.
Medical experts say the new XBB.1.16 variant of the virus could be driving the surge. They also said this rise in the number of cases could be the result of more people getting tested for COVID as a precaution when they actually get infected with the influenza virus and develop fever and related symptoms. The Indian Council of Medical Research has said that the rise in the number of influenza cases is due to the Influenza A sub-type H3N2. The H3N2 virus is leading to more hospitalization than the other subtypes. The symptoms include a runny nose, persistent cough, and fever.
