“We have been conducting a large number of tests. If we don’t do that, the new cases can reduce to 500-1,000. A lot of people (states) don’t conduct tests and say they don’t have cases. We have been transparent,” he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
“We are conducting the maximum number of tests in the country,” Jain said, adding that night curfew and weekend curfew are sufficient to control the situation in Delhi for the time being.
Delhi has been witnessing a spike in cases since the beginning of January. On Wednesday, the city-state reported 10,665 new cases with a positivity rate of 11.88 per cent, according to the Delhi Health Department.
The number of new cases is the highest since May 12, when 13,287 people were diagnosed with the disease. The positivity rate is the highest since May 14 last year, when it stood at 12.40 per cent, the Health Department data said.
Though cases are rising, the Delhi government has repeatedly stressed that most cases this time would be mild or asymptomatic and not require hospitalisation, data shows an uptick in the number of COVID patients in hospitals and those requiring oxygen and ventilator support.
According to the data, the number of Covid patients in city hospitals increased by 107 per cent in just two days — from 342 on Monday to 708 on Wednesday. There are 22 severe patients in hospitals compared to seven on Monday and 14 on Tuesday. At present, 551 patients are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms and do not require oxygen, the data stated.
(With inputs from PTI)