Delhi reports zero Covid-19 deaths on Sunday, first time since March 2

Delhi on Sunday broke a four-month streak to report zero casualties from Covid-19. The last time the national capital reported zero Covid-19 deaths was on March 2. The city also tested 71,546 samples on Sunday, of which only 51 returned a positive result — a positivity rate of 0.07 per cent.

According to data from the Delhi government, 25,027 people have succumbed to the deadly virus in the city so far. However, the tally excludes those who died at home, unable to get beds in hospital, during the second peak of the pandemic in April and May. The city’s cumulative case fatality ratio stands at 1.7 per cent. On May 3, Delhi recorded 448 deaths in a single day as the second wave of the pandemic wreaked havoc on the city’s health care infrastructure. Since then, however, the city has seen a sharp dip, both in cases and deaths. Delhi reported only six deaths during Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. One death each occurred on Thursday and Friday, while four people died on Saturday.

The city has reported fewer than hundred daily caseload additions for almost three weeks now. At present, the city’s active caseload stands at 592, according to the Delhi government data. Of these, 330 people are undergoing treatment in hospitals. Delhi had witnessed more than 28,000 fresh cases in a single day during the height of the second wave in April, with the positivity rate hitting a whopping 36 per cent.

In a related development, Lok Nayak Hospital Director Dr. Suresh Kumar paid homage to staff members at the hospital, the largest Covid-19 facility in the national capital. He said the hospital extended its congratulations to senior and junior residents, consultant staff members, and other healthcare workers for doing a great work, adding that they were national heroes for saving thousands of lives.