Union home secretary reviews Covid situation in Delhi-NCR

Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla reviewed the COVID-19 situation in Delhi and adjoining areas at a meeting on Thursday amid a rising number of cases of infection in the national capital, officials said. Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, senior officials of the Delhi government, health experts, officials from Gurugram and Faridabad in Haryana and Gautam Buddh Nagar (Noida) and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh attended the hour-long meeting.

The home secretary took stock of the Covid situation in Delhi-NCR, the availability of hospital beds, oxygen and other infrastructure, an official said.

The representatives of the states apprised the meeting of their preparations and the steps taken to deal with the abrupt rise in the number of coronavirus cases.


The central government officials are believed to have asked the three states to be ready with contingency plans and assured them of all help, the official said.

Delhi recorded 15,097 fresh Covid cases on Thursday, the highest single-day rise in its caseload since May 8, and six more deaths due to the viral disease, while the case positivity rate mounted to 15.34 per cent.

The number of new cases recorded on Thursday was 41 per cent higher than the figure reported the day before.

On Wednesday and Tuesday, 10,665 and 5,481 cases were recorded in Delhi respectively with a positivity rate of 11.88 per cent and 8.37 per cent, according to official figures.

The number of active cases of the infection has crossed the 1,000-mark in Gautam Buddh Nagar as the district administration announced tougher restrictions, including an extension of the night curfew.

The highest number of 511 fresh Covid cases in Uttar Pradesh was reported in Gautam Buddh Nagar on Wednesday.

Neighbouring Ghaziabad reported 255 new cases.

In Haryana, the number of fresh Covid cases almost doubled on Wednesday over the previous day. The state reported 2,176 cases on Wednesday, including 1,178 from Gurugram.

NCR districts Faridabad and Sonipat reported 259 and 131 coronavirus cases respectively on Wednesday.