Virus cases fall below 3K as tests drop by 42%

DMs working with NCDC officials to replan containment zones

September 21, 2020 11:03 pm | Updated 11:05 pm IST - New Delhi

Rapid antigen test in progress at a dispensary in Seemapuri on Monday.

Rapid antigen test in progress at a dispensary in Seemapuri on Monday.

As many as 2,548 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Delhi in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of cases to 2,49,259, according to a health bulletin released by the Delhi government on Monday.

The total number of daily tests done as per Monday’s bulletin was less than the average of the last three days by 42%. This trend is seen on most Mondays as data represents the tests done on Sunday.

Also, 32 more deaths were reported with the death toll touching 5,014. Of the total cases, 2,13,304 people have recovered and there are 30,941 active cases.

Map of centres

The Delhi government will put up maps with locations of COVID-19 testing centres at prominent locations in the city, including metro stations, according to officials. This follows an HC order.

“The map has been prepared by GSDL (Geospatial Delhi Limited) and will be given for printing. It will be put up at different places, including metro stations, and online within the next three-four days,” a Delhi government official told The Hindu .

GSDL, a Delhi government company, has also submitted a soft copy of the map to the government for verification. The hard copy of the map at this point does not have phone numbers of these centres, but might be available when it is online, officials said.

Containment zones

Also, teams under the District Magistrates (DM) are working with the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to replan containment zones in the city following Lt. Governor Anil Baijal’s directions.

“The idea is that the containment zones should be planned in such a way that most of the active cases will be in the zones. The government will come out with the new plan in the next couple of days,” a senior official said. Currently, only less than 20% of the active cases are from the containment zones.

The official also said that the Delhi government will conduct a meeting with an expert committee under V.K Paul (member NITI Aayog) to formulate a plan to increase the number of RT PCR tests following last week’s High Court order. RT PCR tests are more accurate than rapid antigen tests, but Delhi government currently depend heavily on the latter.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Satyendar Jain said that around 30% people admitted at hospitals for COVID-19 treatment are from outside the city.

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