Delhi is one of the regions in India that has been badly affected by the resurgence of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). Daily Covid-19 records in the nation’s capital have been set as a highly mutated variant of Omicron spreads.

Covid-19 cases in Delhi have been rising steadily since the first day of the year, when 2,716 cases were reported, reaching 5,481 on January 4. However, that number nearly doubled when the daily total reached 10,665 cases.

Over the next five days, that number more than doubled, reaching 22,751 on January 9 for a 23.53 percent positive test rate. The city also reported 17 deaths, the most in a single day since June 16 last year.

Slightly relieved, the hospitalization rate was much slower in comparison, suggesting a milder infection from Omicron than the second wave of Delta variants unleashed last April.

Nearly 88 per cent of all hospital beds in Delhi were vacant as on Sunday, according to state government data.

Less than 2,000 of the city’s more than 14,000 beds are currently reserved for Covid-19 patients.

This led Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to say there was no need to panic.

“During the last wave of Covid-19, 20,000 cases were reported in a single day on May 7, 2021, but 341 people died and 20,000 hospital beds were occupied,” Kejriwal said on Sunday. “Delhi reported 20,000 cases on January 8, but only seven deaths and 1,500 beds occupied.”

He also said that the Delhi government does not intend to impose a lockdown if everyone follows the Covid-19 appropriate behaviour.

Delhi is currently under ‘yellow alert’, as per the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). Under this, a night curfew has been announced from 10pm to 5am, which restricts all non-essential movements. The Delhi government also implemented a weekend curfew from 10pm on January 7 to 5am on January 10 to check the further spread of Covid-19 after a meeting of Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA).

Another DDMA meeting will take place on Monday to discuss the Covid-19 situation with experts and top officials, and to decide if the national capital needs more restrictions to check the spread.

Complete News Source : Hindustan Times