Delhi witnessed nine coronavirus deaths in December so far as the city is fighting a massive rise in virus cases believed to be driven by the new Omicron variant. This is the highest number of deaths the city witnessed in the last four months.
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Five deaths were recorded in September in Delhi, followed by four in October and seven in November. The death count in the city, which stood at 25,098 at the end of November, has now risen to 25,107, as of December 30.
With 1,313 new cases on Friday, the city is also witnessing a massive spike in coronavirus infections believed to be driven by the Omicron variant. Thursday's count topped is the highest single-day rise in cases since May 26, according to the health department.
Delhi has so far witnessed a cumulative 14,46,415 COVID-19 cases, of which 14.18 lakh patients have recovered. The positivity rate has increased to 1.73 per cent.
The Omicron variant has India on alert with the country reporting 309 new cases of this variant on Friday. This takes the nationwide Omicron count to 1,270, of which 374 patients have either recovered or migrated.
Omicron cases have been reported from across 23 states and Union territories, with Maharashtra topping the list with 450 such cases followed by Delhi (320), Kerala (109) and Gujarat (97).
Delhi and other major cities have announced major restrictions in view of the New Year celebrations, banning gathering in an attempt to prevent worsening of the situation. Delhi had banned gatherings for both Christmas and New Year's Eve, while Maharashtra has imposed a 5PM-5AM ban starting this evening.
About 18 per cent of the samples tested in the last two weeks in the country have been found to be of Omicron variant, government sources have revealed citing genome sequencing results. In Delhi, 50 per cent of the samples had tested for the new variant since December 12.
Amid a rise in cases, there is a fear of an oncoming third wave if not tamed in time. The city had witnessed a brutal second wave earlier this year as oxygen supply crisis and shortage of hospital beds affected its healthcare system.
Now, international passengers arriving at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport have to isolate themselves at institutional designated facilities, according to a government order. Those who test coronavirus positive after RT-PCR tests and their contacts will be shifted to such facilities, reported news agency ANI.
Countrywide, 16,764 cases were recorded over a period of 24 hours, with the figure crossing the 16,000-mark in 64 days. Active cases increased to 91,361 while death count mounted to 4,81,080 with 20 new fatalities.
