Coronavirus cases in Delhi climb to 1,893, death toll 43, say authorities

Of the total 43 fatalities reported till date, 24 were above 60 years of age, making over 55% of the total death cases, Delhi government authorities said

People wait in queue outside a bank in Vivek Vihar (East Delhi), in New Delhi on April 18, 2020.

The total number of coronavirus cases in the national capital on April 18 climbed to 1,893, with 186 fresh cases and one death being reported in a day, according to the Delhi government authorities.

Of the total 43 fatalities reported till date, 24 were above 60 years of age, making over 55% of the total death cases, they said.

Nine of them were in the age group of 50-60, and 10 were below 50 years, officials said.

Meanwhile, 31 members of an extended family, including children, residing in north Delhi’s Jahangirpuri area, a portion of which has been declared a containment zone, have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last two days, officials said on Saturday.

The number of containment zones in Delhi increased to 76 on April 18, with the addition of eight new zones.

The civic authorities have carried out mass-sanitisation and disinfection drives in hotspot areas in the past several days using drones and other measures.

A dedicated 24x7 WhatsAapp number 8287972050 has been activated for lodging complaints from citizens in connection with COVID-19, the Delhi Health Department said in a statement.

An order has been issued for an incentivisation scheme for community lab testing being undertaken by the district, it said.

House-to-house surveillance activities are being carried out in identified cluster containment zones, and a total of 1,047 samples have been collected on April 18 from different clusters and sent for testing, the statement said.

According to the department, out of the total 1,707 cases recorded so far, at least 959 are admitted at various hospitals like LNJP Hospital, GTB Hospital, RML Hospital, Safdarjung Hospital, Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital (RGSSH) and AIIMS Jhajjhar. It said 26 patients are in ICU and six on ventilator support.

The total number of COVID-19 samples sent for testing till date stands at 22,283, the department said.

As many as 31,878 people, who came in contact with affected persons, are under home quarantine as of now and 19,681 people have completed their 14-day quarantine, it said.