Delhi Covid resurgence: Crucial DDMA meet tomorrow, cases likely to increase in last week of April

Doctors are predicting that the cases are expected to surge in the coming days, though they are also reassured that the current trends are not concerning with most of the cases being mild and due to the Omicron XE variant.

New Delhi: With Covid-19 cases starting to reemerge in the national capital, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday said that people have to learn to live with the COVID19 virus as it will stay in some capacity, adding that the government will take expert advice to tackle the increasing cases. The statement has come a day before the crucial DDMA meeting scheduled amid the alarming spike that hit the 7.72 per cent positivity rate mark on Monday.

Further ensuring crucial efforts from the centre, he added that they will take strict action if the cases increase further. "For now, there's no need to panic. The counts are incoming, and we have scheduled a meeting with experts and the DDMA on April 20," he said. The meeting is likely to discuss the mandatory use of face masks and hybrid modes of offline and online teaching for school children. Responding to a question about whether the authorities will impose a fine on non-compliance to the usage of masks, Sisodia said there is no such plan as of now.

The Delhi Health Department data of Tuesday hinted at a steep spurt in new Covid-19 infections in the last week between April 11 to 18. The positivity rate has reached a whopping 7.72 per cent, registering a nearly three-fold rise. Last week, the capital recorded a total of 2,606 positive Covid cases against 67,360 tests conducted during the period, while the average positive rate was 4.79 per cent. The national capital also registered two Covid deaths during this period.

Meanwhile, the doctors are predicting that the cases are expected to surge in the coming days, though they are also reassured that the current trends are not concerning with most of the cases being mild and due to the Omicron XE variant. "The variant has more transmissibility but is causing mild infection. It is causing only upper respiratory tract infection," said Dr Jugal Kishore, head of community Medicine, Safdarjung hospital.

However, some other doctors have also warned that as the cases increase, there will be a significant increase in the mortality and hospitalisation rate, but it will not go beyond control. Dr Abhinav Guliani, a pulmonologist at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, said, "People must remain vigilant. There will be an increase in cases but it will not go beyond control."

"People coming out in large numbers might have also led to this increase in cases. But the major reason for the surge, I feel, is the highly transmissible variant," he said. Dr Guliani also pointed out the curbs were relaxed last month but cases have only risen since the last week.