Record 240 deaths in Delhi, 23k+ cases

Delhi on Monday reported record 240 deaths due to Covid-19, the highest since the beginning of the pandemic last year, and 23,686 cases with a positivity rate of 26.12%, according to official data.

The national capital has reported 823 deaths due to the infectious disease in the last five days, with the fourth wave of infections being the worst so far in the city.

On Sunday, Delhi recorded the biggest jump in its daily Covid-19 tally with 25,462 fresh cases, while the positivity rate shot up to 29.74%. On Saturday, 24,375 Covid-19 cases and 167 deaths were reported in the city. Delhi’s total death toll stands at 12,361. On June 16, 437 deaths were added to the city’s toll as the government added deaths it had missed out. The highest daily toll reported during the third wave was 131 and during the June-July surge was 101.

“So far, there is hardly any difference in the mortality during this wave and the previous one, proving that the virus is not more fatal. However, the deaths may be higher now because of the health system being overburdened. And, we keep on adding more cases every day...,” said Dr Jugal Kishore, head of the department of community medicine at the Safdarjung hospital.