Daily cases up to 200 in Delhi

NEW DELHI: The Capital on Wednesday reported 200 new infections of Covid-19, the highest single-day increase in cases in 26 days, or since January 29, according to government data.

The seven-day average of new cases (also known as the daily case trajectory of a region) now appears to be slowly inching up again — it now stands at 151, the highest in 20 days. For the week ending February 12, this number had dropped to an over 300-day low of 125 new cases a day.

Though minor, this spurt in cases in the city is concerning as it comes at a time when at least five states across India — Maharashtra, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Chhattisgarh – have seen what appear to be the start of fresh waves of infections. To be sure, the increase in cases in these five states is much more significant compared to Delhi’s.

The number of tests in the city, meanwhile, has seen a considerable dip from peak levels over the past few weeks. For the week ending Wednesday, 57,699 samples were tested every day in the city (56,168 on Wednesday itself), compared to the peak capacity of 83,151 average tests a day exhibited by the government for the week ending December 23, a month after the city brought its third Covid-19 wave under control.