246 new cases, positivity rate hits another low

While it is good the vaccine has arrived, I still urge people to wear masks and take all necessary precautions. SATYENDAR JAIN, Delhi health minister

NEW DELHI: Delhi on Sunday recorded 246 new cases of Covid-19 — the lowest since May 9 when 224 new cases were recorded – and eight more deaths, according to the state’s daily health bulletin.

“We can comfortably assume that the third peak in Delhi is over. It is even better now that the vaccine has arrived. However, I still urge people to continue wearing masks and take all necessary precautions against Covid-19,” Delhi’s health minister Satyendar Jain said in a press conference on Sunday.

The city, on Sunday, also recorded a positivity rate of 0.36% which, health officials said, is also the lowest so far.

Sunday’s health bulletin recorded 67,463 tests, of which 40,102 were conducted using the RT-PCR method believed to be more accurate in terms of sensitivity and specificity. The other tests were done through rapid antigen kits, which dish out quicker results, but are known to be far less accurate than RT-PCR tests.

So far, 632,429 people in Delhi have been diagnosed with Covid-19 since the first case was recorded on March 2. Of these, 10,746 have died.

On Saturday, 4,319 people in Delhi were vaccinated across 81 centres in the city, as India began the world’s largest Covid-19 immunisation programme. As many as 8,100 healthcare workers – the top priority group for vaccination – were supposed to take the vaccination on the first day in Delhi. The drive in the city will resume on Monday.

“It’s good the vaccine has arrived at a time when Delhi is seeing a low number of cases. However, people must not let their guards down, even after vaccination which acts as an additional shield against potential infection but does not negate all chances. People must continue to wear masks, adhere to social distancing norms and take other precautions,” said Dr Lalit Kant, former head of the communicable diseases department in the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).