A medical worker collects a sample from a woman for COVID-19 test in East Delhi, India on June 24, 2020. (Photo by Partha Sarkar/Xinhua)
As total COVID-19 cases in Delhi surpassed 70,000, the government began gearing up to launch a mammoth screening campaign, covering nearly 4.5 million households in the national capital.
NEW DELHI, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Delhi has emerged as the worst Coronavirus (COVID-19) hotspot in India, as total cases in the city surpassed 70,000, reaching 70,390 on Thursday and deaths at 2,365.
Delhi's COVID-19 cases now account for nearly 16 percent of the total cases in the country, with its deaths making up nearly 15 percent of the total count across India.
On Wednesday the national capital surpassed Mumbai, in terms of overall COVID-19 cases, when it reported 3,788 new cases in a single day, which was 862 more than Mumbai's tally.
The cases have been doubling in Delhi every two weeks, as compared to 40 days in Mumbai, the financial capital of the country.
Mumbai, the second worst hit city, added 1,118 new COVID-19 cases, pushing its total to 69,528 on Wednesday.
A medical worker collects a sample from a woman for COVID-19 test in East Delhi, India on June 24, 2020. (Photo by Partha Sarkar/Xinhua)
The 3,788 new cases in Delhi was the second-highest single-day spike seen in the city so far. This was the fifth occasion in the past one week when the capital had reported 3,000 or more cases in a single day. Tuesday had witnessed the highest number of new cases in a single day at 3,947.
As per data released by the federal health ministry Thursday morning, there are 26,588 active COVID-19 cases in the capital city, and 41,437 have been discharged from hospitals after being completely cured.
The other worst affected cities in the country are Chennai with nearly 45,000 COVID-19 cases, Thane with nearly 27,000 cases, Ahmedabad with around 20,000 cases, and Pune with about 17,000 cases.
The country witnessed a sharp spike of nearly 17,000 fresh cases, as the total count stood at 473,105. More than 14,900 have died, with 418 deaths reported during the past 24 hours.
In a bid to identify all cases in the city and also check the pandemic spread, the Delhi government is slated to soon launch a mammoth screening campaign/survey, covering all households in the national capital to check people for signs of COVID-19. Covering nearly 4.5 million households, it is planned to complete by July 6.
Staff members disinfect the Lord Hanuman Temple to prepare it for reopening at Cannaught Place in New Delhi, India, June 6, 2020. (Photo by Partha Sarkar/Xinhua)
New COVID-19 treatment centres are being set up across the capital city, with provision of additional beds. A 10,000-bed under construction care centre has come up at the Radha Soami Satsang Beas in south Delhi.
A couple of weeks ago, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had warned that the city would have more than half a million COVID-19 cases by end of July.
Schools, educational institutions, Delhi Metro rail services, and shopping malls continue to remain shut in the Indian capital, as a precautionary measure to avoid overcrowding.
According to epidemiologists, the sudden spurt in COVID-19 cases in Delhi was the result of increased testing in the capital city. Till two weeks ago only 5,000 COVID-19 tests were conducted per day, which has been ramped up to about 19,000 per day now. Fatalities due to COVID-19 is tipped to be around 3 percent, compared to 5 percent in Mumbai. ■
