16 more deaths as Covid cases rise by 38%, likely to peak in 10-12 days

NEW DELHI: India has witnessed a 38 percent jump in new Covid-19 cases, with 7,830 new infections being reported in the last 24 hours, the highest since September 2 last year.

As many as 16 deaths were reported in the country in the last 24 hours. There were two deaths each from Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. One death each was recorded from Gujarat, Haryana, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. Five reconciled deaths were reported by Kerala, which is seeing the highest number of Covid deaths and cases in the country.

On April 11, 5,676 new positive cases were reported in the last 24 hours, while the country reported 21 deaths.

According to the health ministry data, the active infections stand at 40,215. About 4,42,04,771 people have recovered, with the recovery rate rising to 98.72%. The fatality rate stands at 1.19%, the Union Health Ministry said.

According to ministry sources, Covid cases may peak in the next 10-12 days and then gradually dip.

The ministry said during the two-day mock drills, they also checked the infrastructure facilities, including isolation wards, oxygen-supported beds, ICUs and ICU-cum ventilators in the country in case of an emergency. A total of 1,070,765 beds are available in the country.

According to the health ministry, of 248,683 isolation beds, 218,789 were functional. Of the 335,795 oxygen-supported beds, 304,601 were available, while of the 94,999 ICU beds, 90,785 were found to be functional. The nationwide mock drill held on April 10 and 11 also showed that of the 60,994 ICU-cum-ventilator beds in the country, 54,040 functional beds were available.

Among logistics, 86 percent of ventilators were found to be functional, while 94 percent of oxygen cylinders were available.

According to Krishna Prasad N C, a Covid data analyst, Delhi (102%), Maharashtra (180%), Uttar Pradesh (128%), Chhattisgarh (184%), Punjab (115%) and Goa (103%) have reported a high number of Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours.

Dr. Rajeev Jayadevan, co-chairman of the National Indian Medical Association (IMA) Covid-19 task force, said there had been a steep rise in Covid-19 cases since April, and more patients are being admitted to hospitals now in Kerala. However, severe cases remain rare.

The current rise in Covid cases is driven by XBB.1.16, a sub-variant of Omicron. Though Covid-19 cases are rising, hospitalisation is low, officials said.