Delhi reports 153 fresh COVID-19 cases, positivity rate jumps to 9.13 pc

New Delhi [India], March 26 : Delhi recorded 153 fresh COVID-19 cases and zero death in the last 24 hours, as per the Delhi government health bulletin on Sunday.

The national capital has 528 active cases of COVID-19 with a daily positivity rate of 9.13 per cent.

The bulletin said that 4,07,79,919 tests for coronavirus have been conducted so far and 1,675 persons were tested against the disease in the last 24 hours.

Presently as many as 340 patients are in home isolation in the national capital while 35 patients are admitted to hospitals.

As many as 150 COVID vaccine doses were administered in the last 24 hours in Delhi of which 28 beneficiaries were of the first dose, 53 were of the second dose and 69 received the precautionary dose.

India recorded 1,890 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, a press release issued by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Sunday.

The Health Ministry said that India's active caseload currently stands at 9,433.

The total recoveries are at 4,41,63,883 with 1,051 recoveries in the last 24 hours. Currently, India's recovery rate stands at 98.79 per cent.

The daily positivity rate and Weekly Positivity Rate stand at 1.56 per cent and 1.29 per cent, respectively.

According to the official release, 92.09 crore Covid tests have been conducted so far, out of which 1,21,147 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours.

Under the mass vaccination drive in the country, 220.65 crore total vaccine doses (95.20 crore Second Dose and 22.86 crore Precaution Dose) have been administered, of which 7,955 doses were administered in the last 24 hours.

Supporting the Centre's decision to order fresh mock drills in hospitals across the country to test their Covid preparedness, amid rising cases, former director of AIIMS, Delhi, Dr Randeep Guleria on Thursday said the drills would be a timely test of the prevailing healthcare infrastructure and keep people in the loop about an outbreak.

"It is always better to be ready. Preparations should be complete. So, I believe that mock drills are always good because we test the system if there is any outbreak or surge in cases," Dr Guleria, who is currently the chairman, Institute of Internal Medicine, Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Director-Medical Education, Medanta, said.

However, he also said that, so far, there hasn't been an uptick in hospital admissions.

Earlier on Thursday, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that a mock drill will be done soon in all the states and Union Territories to assess their preparedness to meet the twin threats, of influenza and Covid-19 cases, to public health.

Addressing a press conference in the national capital on Thursday, Bhushan said, "India on Thursday recorded 1,300 new Covid cases, the highest in the last 140 days. We will get a fresh round of mock drills done in all states and UTs in order to assess their individual Covid preparedness."