People with no travel history have been infected with the Omicron variant of COVID-19 and this means it is gradually spreading in the community, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said Thursday.
Omicron accounts for 46 per cent of the 115 COVID-19 samples analysed in the national capital, Jain said, adding that Delhi hospitals have 200 COVID-19 patients of which 102 belong to the city. Of the hospitalised COVID-19 patients in Delhi, 115 do not have any symptoms and have been kept in hospitals as a precautionary measure, the minister said.
India recorded the highest single day rise of Omicron infections with 180 fresh cases, taking the total tally of such infections in the country to 961, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday. Delhi recorded the maximum number of 263 cases.
The national capital has been witnessing a rise in the number of COVID-19 cases as well as the positivity rate for the last 10 days. The positivity rate in Delhi has jumped to 1.29 per cent from 0.19 per cent between December 23 and December 29, according to government data released on Wednesday.
The Delhi government has decided to continue with existing restrictions under the ''yellow alert'' before announcing more curbs in the city. In the wake of the rise in cases, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday declared the 'yellow alert' under which schools, colleges, cinemas and gyms will remain closed. Shops dealing in non-essential items will open on an odd-even basis, and metro trains and buses will run with 50 per cent seating capacity.
Jain had earlier said preparations for the vaccination of children and booster doses for the elderly in the first week of January have been completed. "The vaccines will be administered at the centres that have been already established. We have increased our capacity and can vaccinate up to three lakh people on a daily basis," he added.
-with PTI inputs
