India’s daily Covid cases cross 6,000-mark

India has logged 6,050 fresh coronavirus cases, the highest in 203 days, while the active cases have increased to 28,303, according to Union health ministry data updated on Friday.

On September 16 last year, 6,298 cases were recorded.

The death toll has increased to 5,30,943 with 14 deaths — three reported from Maharashtra, two each from Karnataka and Rajasthan, one each from Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, and one was reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated.

The daily positivity rate has been recorded at 3.39 per cent and the weekly positivity rate at 3.02 per cent, it said.

The total tally of Covid cases stands at 4.47 crore (4,47,45,104)

The active cases now comprise 0.06 per cent of the total infections, while the national Covid recovery rate has been recorded at 98.75 per cent, according to the health ministry’s website.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has increased to 4,41,85,858, while the case fatality rate has been recorded at 1.19 per cent, it said.

According to the ministry’s website, 220.66 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered so far under the nationwide Covid vaccination drive.

Amid the upward trend in infections, Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya has called a review meet with the health ministers of all states and Union Territories today afternoon to review the preparedness in the country.

Meanwhile, Delhi logged 606 fresh Covid cases — the highest since last August — on Thursday with a positivity rate of 16.98 per cent, according to data shared by the city government’s Health department.

The health bulletin said one more Covid-positive person died in the city. However, “Covid finding was incidental”, it added.

The national capital recorded 620 cases on August 26.

On Wednesday, the city logged a positivity rate of 26.54 per cent, the highest in nearly 15 months, with 509 people testing positive in a single day. In January last year, the positivity rate had touched the 30-per cent mark.

Delhi saw 521 cases on Tuesday and one fatality. The positivity rate stood at 15.64 per cent.

At present, the city’s COVID-19 death toll stands at 26,534, according to the bulletin.

With the fresh cases, Delhi’s infection tally has risen to 20,12,670. The data showed that 3,569 Covid tests were conducted on Wednesday.

Delhi has witnessed a spurt in the number of fresh Covid infections over the last few days amid a sharp rise in H3N2 influenza cases in the country.

The Delhi government is keeping an eye on the spurt in Covid cases in the national capital and is “prepared to face any eventuality”, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Friday.

Addressing reporters after chairing a review meeting on the Covid situation, Kejriwal had said there was no need to worry for now and that the city government was taking all required steps.

Delhi recorded 293 fresh cases on Monday with the positivity rate rising to 18.53 per cent, which meant nearly one out of every five people tested returned a positive result.

The city saw 429 Covid cases on Sunday, with a positivity rate of 16.09 per cent, and one death.

It logged 416 cases on Saturday with a positivity rate of 14.37 per cent.

The number of fresh cases had dropped to zero on January 16, the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic.

Nearly 120 of the 7,989 beds in dedicated Covid hospitals in the city are occupied while 1,337 patients are in home isolation, the Health department said on Thursday.

The number of active cases currently stands at 2,060, it added.

Amid a gradual increase in the number of Covid cases in Delhi, medical experts say the new XBB.1.16 variant of the virus could be driving the surge.

However, they maintained that there is no need to panic and people should follow Covid-appropriate behaviour and get booster shots of the vaccines. They also said this rise in the number of cases could be the result of more people getting themselves tested for Covid as a precaution when they actually get infected with the influenza virus and develop fever and related symptoms.

The Indian Council of Medical Research has said the rise in the number of influenza cases is due to the Influenza A sub-type H3N2. The H3N2 virus is leading to more hospitalisation than the other subtypes. The symptoms include a runny nose, persistent cough and fever.