Omicron surge in Delhi; 60K daily cases by January-end: Report
Delhi may witness 58,000 to 60,000 daily COVID-19 cases by the end of January, sources in the Union Health Ministry informed CNN-News18. Notably, around 75% of COVID-19 patients in the national capital are infected with the Omicron variant, they said. Seventy people had died of COVID-19 in Delhi hospitals in the past week and most of them had co-morbid health conditions, they added.
Why does this story matter?
Delhi has been witnessing a massive surge in COVID-19 cases for the last few days. It is also one of the worst Omicron-affected regions in the country after Maharashtra and Rajasthan. On Monday, the capital city reported over 19,000 new COVID-19 cases and 17 deaths. Notably, Delhi was the worst-hit region when the second wave of coronavirus peaked in April-May last year.
Delhi government considering more curbs
Gradual restrictions were being mulled in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) to curb the spread of the coronavirus, the sources said. A proposal to shut metros and buses during the weekend curfew, currently in force in the city, is also under consideration, they added. This comes as several restrictions are already in place in Delhi under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).
DDMA imposed fresh curb on Tuesday
Meanwhile, Delhi Disaster Management Authority—the nodal authority that implements GRAP—imposed fresh restrictions in the national capital on Tuesday to curb the viral spread. It ordered work from home for all employees of private offices but exempted those who provide essential services. It also suspended dine-in facilities at restaurants in the city and shut down bars. However, no lockdown was imposed.
Have no intention to impose lockdown: Kejriwal
On Sunday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had also clarified that his government has no intention to impose a lockdown in the national capital. Even though the increase in cases was "worrying," both deaths and hospitalizations are lower in the current COVID-19 wave compared to the last one, he had said. This came amid experts' warning that the caseload may overburden the healthcare system.
COVID-19 situation in Delhi
The national capital reported 19,166 new COVID-19 cases on Monday. However, Tuesday's tally is marginally lower than the day before. Reportedly, the dip in cases is mainly due to lower testing over the weekend. Currently, Delhi's positivity rate stood at 25%, meaning one out of every four persons tested in the city is infected. Meanwhile, the city's Omicron tally stands at 546.
