BA.2 variant in around 90 pc Covid samples genome-sequenced in Delhi in July-Aug

More than 90 per cent of the COVID-19 samples genome-sequenced in Delhi in July and August were detected with the BA.2 variant of the virus, according to official data.

A total of 1,271 samples were sequenced in July and 1,133 of those were detected with the BA.2 variant. No sample was detected with the BA.4 variant, while 138 were detected with the BA.5 variant of the virus, the data showed.

In August, 2,064 samples were analysed and 1,865 per cent of those were detected with the BA.2 variant, while 199 had the BA.5 variant, according to the minutes of the September 22 DDMA meeting issued by Special CEO Sushil Singh.

The capital saw a surge in the number of Covid cases in August, with experts attributing it to people dropping their guard and not following Covid-appropriate behaviour.

Over the last few weeks, the number of daily cases has fallen below 100.

The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) met here on September 22 to review the Covid situation in the national capital and conduct an assessment of the dedicated resources deployed at the hospitals to tackle the virus.

Delhi on Sunday logged 76 cases with a positivity rate of 1.12 per cent.

On Saturday, it saw 92 COVID-19 cases with a positivity rate of 1.20 per cent, while it recorded 87 infections with a positivity rate of 1.19 per cent, and one fatality due to it on Friday.

The number of active COVID-19 cases in Delhi stands at 359. A total of 262 patients are under home isolation, a health bulletin said on Tuesday.

Of the 8,857 beds reserved for COVID-19 patients in various city hospitals, 40 are occupied, it said.

There are 45 containment zones in Delhi, it added.

The number of daily COVID-19 cases in Delhi touched a record high of 28,867 on January 13 during the third wave of the pandemic.

The city recorded a positivity rate of 30.6 per cent on January 14, the highest during the third wave.

(With PTI inputs)

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