Delhi’s Covid-19 cases up by over 2,300 in 30-day lockdown period
New Delhi, April 24 (IANS) When the lockdown was announced from th midnight of March 24, the national capital had 30 coronavirus cases with only one death. After a month of lockdown, Delhi has reported about 2,350 more cases and 49 deaths.
On March 24, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced a 21-day nationwide lockdown to check the spread of coronavirus, which was later extended till May 3.
The Covid-19 patient count in Delhi was 30 with one death when the lockdown was announced, according to the Delhi Health Department. As on April 24, the patient count has gone up to 2,376 while 50 people have died of the dreaded virus.
“It is true that the cases increased even during the lockdown, but we have to see how these numbers are increasing. About 1,100 cases were from the Nizamuddin Markaz alone and about 450 cases were those coming from foreign countries and their immediate contacts,” an official from the Health Department told IANS.
A total of 1,080 people have tested positive from among those rescued from the Nizamuddin Markaz, where the Tablighi Jamaat held a religious congregation in mid March. More than 2,300 people from different parts of the world and country were rescued from the building earlier this month.
While 83 people having foreign travel history have tested positive, at least 353 have “contacts history”.
The official also turned down any possibility of community transmission in the national capital.
“We can say it (the infection) is being transmitted locally and not at the community level. People have to understand that they need to follow the lockdown seriously. The cases are increasing in clusters where people are not following social distancing seriously,” the official said.
Also, a total of 50 people in Delhi have lost their lives due to coronavirus since the outbreak of the infection.
According to the Health Department, among the 50 deaths, 42 (82 per cent) had comorbidity or other serious diseases.
The health official also said that at least 808 (35 per cent) of the total positive cases have been cured.
“Till April 17, only 72 people were recovered. In the last one week, we have seen a huge jump in the cured category. As of Friday morning, 808 people have recovered from the disease — with 736 getting cured in one week,” the health official said.
The administration has also been creating containment zones wherever cases are rising to check local transmission.
–IANS
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