Delhi has reached peak of coronavirus second wave, claims Kejriwal
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal claimed Delhi has reached the peak of the second wave of coronavirus, and that fresh infections will dip in the upcoming days. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader was speaking at a program today at the Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University. No state other than Delhi claimed that it has dealt with the second peak of the virus.
"Cases rose after mid-August, will fall in coming days"
Kejriwal explained that the fresh cases in Delhi were under control between July 1 and August 17, but rose after that. He said the number of new infections crossed 4,000 almost daily during the last week, and now the numbers are deflating. This data has convinced experts that Delhi has reached the peak of the second wave, Kejriwal went on.
Delhi reported 4,000+ cases daily from September 15 to 19
Between September 15 and 19, Delhi reported over 4,000 cases daily. On September 15, 4,263 cases and 36 deaths were reported; 4,473 fresh cases and 33 deaths a day later; on September 17, 4,432 cases and 38 deaths were logged; on September 18, 4,127 new infections and 30 deaths were recorded; and on September 19, 4,071 fresh cases and 38 deaths were reported.
Kejriwal thanked Centre, NGOs, Delhiites for their help
At the event, Kejriwal added that Delhi reported 3,700 new cases in the last 24 hours, a dip from last week's figures. He said Delhi tackled the second wave better with help from the central government, NGO, and residents. "I want to thank everyone for their efforts. As a responsible government, we had increased testing from 20,000 to 60,000 daily," he said.
During peak, infections rise exponentially before declining
Since the virus spread its wings globally, talks about a peak have been keeping experts busy. A peak means that cases rise exponentially for some time before declining. Italy, for example, reached a peak in March-April, a period categorized by overwhelmed healthcare systems. In sharp contrast, India never really reached the peak, despite earlier studies pegging June-July as the ripe time for the same.
The government has hinted that India might never reach peak
In the early days of the pandemic, Lav Agarwal, the Joint Secretary in the Union Health Ministry, had commented that India might never reach a peak — a claim that seemed baffling at the time but looks like a possibility now. Recently, when asked if India would reach a peak, Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan also said that country is at "multiple trajectories."
