Delhi's Biggest 1-Day Spike In 2 Months As It Gears Up To Restart Metro

Delhi reported 2,509 fresh COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, its highest single-day spike in nearly two months, government data showed. The new cases of the highly contagious virus have taken the overall infections in the national capital to 1, 79, 569. The last biggest one-day spike was 2,520 cases on July 3.

There has been a sudden spike in the number of COVID-19 cases in Delhi in the last few days after a downward trend in the number of infections, according to official data.

The death count due to COVID-19 in the city stands at 4,481 after 19 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours.

The surge comes at a time when the metro services in the city are set to resume, albeit with strict Covid restrictions, following a five-month shutdown because of the pandemic and lockdown.

The entry and exit gates of metro rail networks at containment zones will remain shut, and waiting time will increase to 5-7 minutes as trains will be sanitised at turnaround points. These are some of the guidelines the centre has issued as part of its Unlock4 plan to restart metro trains from September 7 after months of lockdown amid the coronavirus crisis.

A record number of 28,835 samples were tested in the national capital in a day, taking the cumulative test numbers to 16,36,518.

The recent rise in the cases can be attributed to COVID-19 patients from outside Delhi seeking treatment in the national capital, reopening of the economy and low sensitivity of rapid antigen tests, medical experts were quoted by news agency PTI.

Delhi's recovery rate of COVID-19 patients stands at 88.31 per cent, informed the Delhi Chief Minister's office on Wednesday. A total of 8,407 patients are in home isolation while 5,586 patients have been hospitalised, the CMO further informed.

India on Thursday recorded a single-day spike of 78,357 cases, pushing the tally to 37,69,523, the Union Health Ministry data this morning showed. The death count has risen to 66,333 with 1,045 new fatalities.