Delhi records 104 COVID-19 deaths, highest in over five months

Delhi on Thursday recorded 7,053 new COVID-19 cases, taking the city’s total tally to reach 467,028, according to the bulletin issued by the health department, PTI reported. A staggering number of 104 deaths were recorded. Thus, the death toll in the city has reached 7,332.

The city witnessed as many as 93 deaths on June 16, which was highest till Wednesday.

The national capital had recorded its highest single-day spike of 8,593 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, while 85 deaths linked to the disease were recorded on that day.

There are 43,116 active cases in the city, which is more than the 42,629 recorded on Wednesday. The recovery rate is over 89%.

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As many as 976 COVID-19 deaths have been recorded in the national capital in the last 16 days, with experts attributing it to a sudden surge in cases, deteriorating air quality, laxity by people in adhering to safety norms, among other factors.

Coronavirus cases in Delhi have registered a sudden spike since October 28 when the daily infection breached the 5,000-mark for the first time and it crossed the 8,000-mark on Thursday, also for the first time.

The number of containment zones in Delhi increased to 4,141 on Wednesday from 4,016 on Tuesday.

The sudden spike in cases comes amid festive season and rising pollution level. While Durga Puja celebrations ended on October 25, the next festival is Diwali and Chhath in November.

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The National Centre for Disease Control in a report drafted recently had warned that Delhi needs to be prepared for about 15,000 fresh cases of COVID-19 per day taking into account the upcoming winter season-related respiratory problems, large influx of patients from outside and festive gatherings.