Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on December 21 said that the COVID-19 positivity rate (positive cases per 100 tests) in the national capital was only 0.48%, adding that the figure was low compared to other States.
“On December 19, 537 RT-PCR tests were conducted in Kerala, which had a positivity rate of 20.75%, and 487 tests were conducted in Karnataka, which reported a 2.41% positivity rate. Meanwhile, Delhi conducted 208 tests, and reported a positivity rate of 0.48%,” a statement from the Minister’s office read, adding that the Delhi government had requested the Indian Council of Medical Research to share with them data related to COVID-19 lab testing.
The latest surge in COVID-19 numbers is fuelled by new variant JN.1. In India, the strain was first detected in Kerala on December 16.
The statement added that all patients with influenza-like illness and severe acute respiratory infections visiting Delhi government hospitals will be tested for COVID-19, and genome sequencing of positive test samples will be performed to identify the strain of the virus.
“In view of the surge in the cases of respiratory illness in China, including pneumonia in children, during November 2023, a meeting was convened by the Health Minister withexperts in respiratory medicine. Mock drills were conducted in all the Delhi Government hospitals between December 13 and 17 to assess the preparedness on various parameters such as bed capacity, available human resources, referral services, testing capacities, logistics, availability of medical oxygen etc.,” the statement read.
Published - December 22, 2023 12:22 am IST
