13.3k more cases: Fewest in 27 days

NEW DELHI: The Capital recorded 13,336 new cases of Covid-19 on Sunday, the fewest in a day since April 12, as the test positivity rate also continued its steady drop, falling to 21.67%, the lowest since April 16.

Delhi had logged 11,491 fresh cases of the infection on April 12, and recorded a test positivity rate of 19.69% on April 16.

The fatality numbers also dropped below the 300 mark for the first time in 18 days, as 273 more people died of the infection on Sunday. To be sure, however, this is still nearly double the highest single-day death toll during the third wave of the infection, which was the most severe surge till that point. On November 18, 131 people in Delhi died of the infection.

So far, 19,344 people have died of Covid-19 in the Capital.

Since March 2 last year, more than 1.32 million Covid-19 cases have been recorded in Delhi, of which 1.22 million have recovered and 19,344 have died, government records said.

Experts, however, asked for caution and said it was too early to draw any conclusions based on the numbers, and stressed that vaccinations needed to be scaled up to prevent further waves.

Dr Lalit Kant, former head of epidemiology division at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said a drop in testing may be behind the dip.

“There could be multiple reasons for the decline in the number of cases, such as fewer tests, or people not getting tested, and others. It is too early to say anything. The trend has to be observed for at least 10-15 days,” said Dr Kant.

According to the bulletin, 61,552 total tests were recorded on Sunday – as against an average of 73,657 tests each day over the previous two weeks.

However, it must be noted that tests generally dip on the Sunday and Monday health bulletins owing to the weekend.

Epidemiologist Dr PK Sharma, adviser to the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), said: “It is good that the number of cases and the positivity rate have come down, but we should wait for some time before drawing any conclusion. But as the infection is in the community, we have to be very careful.”