India / Delhi's active COVID-19 cases rise by over 190% in a month

New Delhi: The number of active Covid-19 cases in Delhi increased by around 190 per cent in a month with 84,087 people contracting the disease during the period, according to government data.

There were 11,068 active Covid-19 cases on August 18. The number increased to a record 32,250 on Friday, an analysis of Delhi government's health bulletins showed.

A similar trend was witnessed in June, when the number of active Covid-19 cases rose from 11,555 on June 1 to 28,329 on June 27. It, however, tapered off to 10,705 active cases by July 31.

On August 4, it dropped below the 10,000-mark for the first time since May 30 and stood at 9,897, owing to a good recovery rate and less new cases.

But just when it seemed the number might drop further, it started rising again with an increase in new cases.

The city reported 14,040 active Covid-19 cases on August 29. The number increased to 15,870 on September 1.

The upward trend in active cases continued and the count stood at 20,909 on September 6.

The number rose to 25,416 on September 10. It crossed the 30,000-mark for the first time on September 16 (30,914).

The national capital has recorded 84,087 Covid-19 cases since August 18 -- 2,712 cases a day on an average.

Since September 1, the city has recorded 61,768 cases -- 3,431 cases a day on an average.

According to Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain, the increase in testing has led to the rise in the number of new coronavirus cases.

As many as 61,037 tests were conducted on Thursday, 60,014 on Wednesday, 62,593 on Tuesday and 62,669 on Monday.

Around 12,000 tests a day were being conducted in June.

The authorities reported 4,127 new cases on Friday, 4,432 on Thursday, 4,473 -- the highest single-day spike so far -- on Wednesday, and 4,263 on Tuesday.

The rise in the number of new cases has also led to a 35 per cent increase in the demand for beds in hospitals in the city.

The occupancy of beds reserved for Covid-19 patients was 25 per cent on August 18, with only 3,539 out of 14,121 beds being occupied.

It increased to 45 per cent on Saturday, with 7,022 out of 15,321 beds being occupied, according to data shared by the hospitals on Delhi Corona app.

Jain on Saturday said there has been a downward trend in Covid-19 positivity rate in the national capital and it will lead to good results by next week.

"The positivity rate was 6.76 per cent on Friday. It has remained below 7 per cent in the last 2-3 days. Last week, it was around 8 per cent," he said.

The cumulative positivity rate has also dropped below 10 per cent for the first time, he added.