COVID-19 4th Wave Threat: 500+ Cases in Delhi on 2nd Consecutive Day, Kerala Reports 213 Deaths

India Covid Cases: India is witnessing yet another spike of COVID-19 cases with 1,247 new cases recorded in the last 24 hours, taking the total active caseload to 11,860. A total of 928 recoveries were also reported in one day. India has reported a 90 percent increase in new COVID cases in just a single day, as per Joint Secretary in Health Ministry Lav Agarwal.

India has also reported a 165 percent spike in daily positivity rate with some states reporting a sudden rise in COVID cases including Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Delhi has reported over 500 cases for the second consecutive day. As per a local survey, the number of people reporting someone getting COVID in their close circle has risen by 500% in Delhi-NCR in the last 15 days.

The state of Kerala has reported around 213 deaths in the last 24 hours, which is an alarming report. The centre has asked Kerala to provide updated Covid data daily and noted that the state's delayed reporting of figures has affected India's key pandemic monitoring indicators including cases, deaths and positivity rate. 

Read Also: 2,183 fresh cases reported across India, Mask Likely to be Made Mandatory Again in Delhi, Get Details Here

Delhi witnessing first massive spike after January 2022

Delhi's Covid-19 positivity rate has jumped to 7.72 percent with the city recording 501 fresh cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of active cases in the city to 1729. Though the number is 16 less than the covid cases reported yesterday, this is the second consecutive day that the capital has reported over 500 cases. The total number of Covid-infected patients in Delhi is also the highest since March 3rd. 

Delhi has been witnessing a spike in daily COVID-19 cases in the last few days despite less tests. The covid positivity rate jumped from 4.21 percent on April 17 to 7.72 percent on April 18th for the first time since January. This comes as the Delhi government had removed the penalty on wearing of masks in the capital. Earlier, there was a Rs 2000 fine for violating the mask rule in Delhi. 

The last time Delhi's positivity rate was above 7 percent was on January 29 (7.4%) and on January 28 (8.6%). The number of daily COVID cases had reached a record high of 28,867 on January 13, while the highest positivity rate was reported on January 14 (30.6 percent), the highest during the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The capital city had witnessed the worst brunt of the COVID-19 second wave in April-May 2021 with citizens struggling to get access to basic medical support including oxygen and hospital beds.

Kerala sees spike in deaths

Kerala has reported a spike in the number of COVID-related deaths in the state. The state also reported its state-level Covid data after a gap of five days with the last being on April 13. The centre has requested the state to ensure daily updation of the covid data. 

UP makes masks mandatory in public places

The Uttar Pradesh government has made the wearing of masks mandatory in public places, including districts in the NCR region amid a sudden spike in COVID cases. The Gautam Buddh Nagar police has started an awareness campaign to ensure everyone had their faces covered. 

Several students in Delhi-NCR have tested positive over the past couple of weeks, sparking panic among parents and students.