Delhi health minister rules out reports of low Covid testing, says 17000 cases on Sunday

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Sunday sought to nix concerns over "fewer" Covid testing in the national capital, saying the diagnostic tests being conducted in the city is three times the number recommended by ICMR.

All those who need to undergo testing are being tested, he said.

According to the Centre's new guidelines, asymptomatic patients do not need to undergo a test. Also, contacts of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients do not require a test unless they have comorbidities or are aged above 60.

Jain said these new guidelines on testing have come after thoughtful consideration.

Delhi conducted 67,624 tests on Friday and 79,578 on Thursday.

The city on Thursday reported 28,867 COVID-19 cases, the sharpest single-day spike since the beginning of the pandemic, after the city conducted 98,832 tests on Wednesday.

Jain told reporters that Delhi is expected to register 17,000 Covid cases on Sunday.

"Hospital admissions have plateaued and Covid positivity rate will also come down. Restrictions by the Delhi government has impacted the spread of COVID-19. We will monitor the situation for three to four days before reviewing the curbs," he said.

On Saturday, Jain had said that it seems the national capital has reached its peak in COVID-19 infections and the government will think of easing restrictions when the daily cases decline to 15,000.

Delhi on Saturday reported 20,718 COVID-19 cases and 30 fatalities while the positivity rate stood at 30.64 per cent, according to health department data.

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