COVID-19 Spike: Delhi’s Case Positivity Rate Soars Close To ‘Red Alert’ Mark

New Delhi: The national capital is among the worst-hit cities in what increasingly looks to be the third wave of COVID-19 pandemic in India.

Hours after chief minister Arvind Kejriwal urged people not to panic amid an Omicron-driven spike, Delhi reported 3,194 new COVID-19 cases – up 17% from the previous day. More worryingly, case positivity rate shot up to 4.59%, according to data shared by Delhi’s Health department. For three days in a row now, Delhi’s positivity rate has been over 2%.

As many as 1,21 containment zones have been earmarked by the authorities.

The Delhi Disaster Management Authority’s action plan mandates that a ‘Red’ alert can be sounded if the case positivity rate crosses 5% for two consecutive days. That will lead to a total curfew and halting most economic activities.

The last time Delhi reported 3,200 daily COVID-positive cases was on May 20, 2021 in the middle of the second wave, with a positivity rate of 5.50%.

The major difference, however, is that 233 deaths were recorded that day, while there just one fatality in the last 24 hours. That is largely due to the fact that the new Omicron variant is not as severe as Delta, though much more transmissible.