Coronavirus / Delhi records 228 new COVID-19 cases & 12 deaths; positivity rate at 0.32%

New Delhi: At least 12 people died due to COVID-19 in Delhi in the last 24 hours -- the lowest daily count in more than two months since April 3 -- taking the overall death count in the city to 24,851. The national capital also recorded 228 new coronavirus cases, which brought the total caseload to 14,31,498.

At least 364 people recovered from coronavirus in the last 24 hours, bringing the active cases in the city down to 3,078. The positivity rate stands at 0.32 per cent at present while the recovery rate is 98.04 per cent, and death rate 1.74 per cent.

The new cases were recorded after 71,291 coronavirus tests were conducted in the city in a day.

The national capital had recorded 131 new COVID-19 cases and 16 fatalities on Monday.

Amid a decline in daily Covid case counts and a gradual unlocking of Delhi, thousands of commuters crowded into train stations and shopping malls today, prompting some doctors to warn it could lead to a resurgence in COVID-19 infections.

Disease experts and doctors have cautioned that a race towards resuming business as usual would compromise vaccination efforts as only about 5 per cent of all 950 million eligible adults have been inoculated in the country.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal recently cautioned that chances of a "third wave of the coronavirus pandemic were quite real" and that his government is prepping to tackle it on a "war footing".

Delhi has been ramping up healthcare and oxygen facilities after an acute shortage during the deadly second wave left the medical infrastructure in the capital crippled with thousands gasping for a bed and breath.

Meanwhile, India's daily rise in Covid cases remained below the 1 lakh-mark for eight straight day with 60,471 new infections today. After health infrastructure was strained by the second Covid wave, states are taking strong measures in anticipation of a third wave.