This new strain of Covid does not cause serious illness, the minister said. (To file)
New Delhi:
Covid cases in Delhi are expected to increase in the coming days as the city is densely populated, Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said on Monday and asked people with flu-like symptoms to wear masks and avoid places public.
The nation’s capital reported 699 cases of COVID-19 and four deaths on Sunday.
Three deaths reported on Sunday were due to various illnesses and the Covid was “incidental”. In one case, the main reason was Covid, Mr Bharadwaj told reporters.
“Any death is unfortunate,” Delhi’s health minister said, adding that “the Delhi government and its health department are on high alert.”
Mr Bharadwaj warned people that Covid cases are expected to rise in the city in the coming days.
“Delhi is a densely populated city. Cases will increase and many people will experience flu-like and flu-like symptoms such as fever and cough. But they will get over it,” he said.
“People with such symptoms should not venture into public places. If one ever has to go to such places, one should wear a mask and observe other safety standards so that they do not end up infect others,” the minister said.
Those who are ill or with weak immunity should not venture out of their homes frequently and should avoid crowded places, Bharadwaj added.
Medical Director of Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital Suresh Kumar said more cases would be reported but there is no need to panic.
A child who was diagnosed with Covid was admitted to the LNJP hospital. The child was recently released, he told PTI.
This new strain does not cause serious illness. It affects children in an unvaccinated age group but hospitalizations have not increased, he said.
Delhi recorded 535 new Covid cases on Saturday with a positivity rate of 23.05%, according to data shared by the city government’s health department. As of Friday, the city had recorded 733 Covid cases – the highest in more than seven months – with a positivity rate of 19.93%.
Delhi has seen a surge in the number of new Covid infections over the past few days amid a sharp rise in H3N2 flu cases in the country.
The Delhi government is monitoring the surge in Covid cases in the nation’s capital and is “prepared for any eventuality”, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said recently.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)