Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain Tuesday said the Covid-19 positivity rate in the national Capital has fallen by a margin of nearly 55 per cent since early November and it should reduce further in the next two weeks.
Jain said the labs taking samples are being operated at their full capacity, hence there are some delays in test outcomes and this matter was being taken up with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
“Delhi is optimally utilising both private and government labs but there is a need for additional support as promised by the Central Government. The death rate was 1.61per cent owing to pollution levels due to stubble burning which was also a major contributor to the declining health of citizens. The rate of RT-PCR tests has been reduced to Rs 800, while collection of samples from home will cost Rs 1,200. It has been promised by the Central Government to provide additional support for testing to ensure that there is no delay in the availability of reports since Delhi is optimally utilising both private and government labs,” he added.
Jain said there were 3,726 new cases in Delhi on Monday. The positivity rate was down to 7.35 from 15.26 per cent. There has been a 55 per cent decrease in the rate since November 7, 2020.
Commenting on the death rate, he said, “We have to see the moving average and not take into consideration the daily statistics. At present, 1.61 per cent is the death ratio.
During winters, pollution levels in Delhi due to the stubble burning in neighbouring States was the reason behind the declining health of citizens, he said, due to that very reason we saw an increase in hospital admissions. However, we anticipate that in 2-3 weeks, it will get better.
Responding to the query surrounding the delay in reports of RT-PCR test, Jain said “The capacity of labs is full. We issued strict orders yesterday to ensure that the turnaround period is 24 hours. When they conduct tests equivalent to their capacity, it results in a delay. We will be taking up this issue with ICMR and the Central Government to suggest that if labs conduct 10% less tests than their total capacity, it will result in a higher turnaround rate. Delhi is optimally utilising both private and government labs but there is need for additional support in terms of labs as promised by Central Government to ensure that the reports are issued within 24 hours,” he said.
“The Central Government should take immediate actions on the legitimate concerns of the farmers. They are the backbone of our country and deserve to be heard. People have left their homes and travelled kilometres together only to get their voices heard, are entitled to a fair chance to express their concerns. The farmers are the backbone of our nation and the Central Government should take immediate actions on their concerns,’ he added.