Delhi sees 80% rise in COVID-19 positive home isolation cases

NEW DELHI: There has been a rise of 80 per cent in the number of home isolation cases of COVID-19 in Delhi in the last 16 days. In addition to this, the number of containment zones has also increased to 976 over the same period, according to official data. The number of home isolation cases in Delhi reached the five figure mark after over a month as the city saw a steady rise in fresh and active coronavirus positive cases. The number of home isolation cases of COVID-19 on September 5 stood at 10,514. The corresponding figure a day before was 9,822, according to the Delhi health department. On August 21, the home isolation cases count was 5,818, marking an 80 per cent rise in 16 days. 

Simultaneously, the number of containment zones has risen from 589 on August 21 to 976 on September 5, according to official figures. The reason for this has mainly remained that the Government of Delhi has lain a lot of emphasis on home isolation, especially for asymptomatic COVID-19 positive patients as part of its COVID-19 management strategy in the past several months. 

Medical experts have flagged that asymptomatic patients who may not have been tested, and roaming around in the open, could be one of the factors leading to rise in fresh cases in last one week or so.

Delhi recorded 2,973 fresh COVID-19 cases on Saturday, the highest single-day spike in 71 days, as the tally in the city mounted to over 1.88 lakh, even as Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asserted that the situation in the city was completely under control.