Delhi conducted 67,624 Covid tests on Friday and 79,578 on Thursday. (File)
Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain sought to nix concerns over "fewer" Covid testing in the national capital, saying the diagnostic tests being conducted in the city is three times the number recommended by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
All those who need to undergo testing are being tested, he said.
According to the Centre's new guidelines, asymptomatic patients do not need to undergo a test. Also, contacts of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients do not require a test unless they have comorbidities or are aged above 60.
Mr Jain said these new guidelines on testing have come after thoughtful consideration.
Delhi conducted 67,624 tests on Friday and 79,578 on Thursday.
The city on Thursday reported 28,867 COVID-19 cases, the sharpest single-day spike since the beginning of the pandemic, after the city conducted 98,832 tests on Wednesday.
Mr Jain said that Delhi is expected to register 17,000 Covid cases on Sunday.
"Hospital admissions have plateaued and Covid positivity rate will also come down. Restrictions by the Delhi government has impacted the spread of COVID-19. We will monitor the situation for three to four days before reviewing the curbs," he said.
On Saturday, the minister had said that it seems the national capital has reached its peak in COVID-19 infections and the government will think of easing restrictions when the daily cases decline to 15,000.
Delhi on Saturday reported 20,718 COVID-19 cases and 30 fatalities while the positivity rate stood at 30.64 per cent, according to health department data.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)