Delhi’s health minister Satyendar Jain said on Friday that the third wave of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) was waning in the state, and that the positivity rate remained below 5% for ten days in a row.
“The third wave of Covid-19 in Delhi is going down. Now we can say that the peak was on November 7 when a positivity rate of 15.26% was recorded. Now the positivity rate has been under 5% for ten days, ”Jain told a news conference.
He said that with more than 70,000 tests a day, Delhi has performed one of the highest tests per million in the country. In late November, Delhi reported the highest test per million in the country with more than 330,201. The national average was 100,159.
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Delhi was followed by Ladakh (241,355), Goa (237,626) and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (202,033), which have a fraction of Delhi’s population.
“Currently, the situation seems to be under control. But people need to keep wearing masks and maintaining social distance. It is because the people of Delhi have cooperated that we are seeing this result. I also want to thank the health workers who have worked day and night, ”said the minister.
Delhi has tested more than 71,741 samples per day on average during December, compared to an average of 53,579 during November. Almost half of these tests were performed using the most accurate RT-PCR method. In Delhi, the proportion of tests had shifted towards less accurate rapid antigen tests since it was launched in mid-June during the first spike in the number of cases.
The number of RT-PCR tests had increased in the city in mid-November after a meeting with the Union Interior Minister Amit Shah.
“I agree that the RT-PCR test reports, which should be due within 24 hours, are being delayed in some places and we are trying to strengthen it. When we met with the Center, they asked us to duplicate the RT-PCR tests. We duplicated our tests, but the reports were delayed. Now the situation is improving, ”said Jain.
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