Delhi today identified1,358 Covid-19 positive cases, which took its coronavirus caseload to 1,74,748, according to the Delhi government’s latest health bulletin.

However, the number of coronavirus tests conducted today was 14,389, which was much lower than the average 20,000 Covid tests done every day in the city.

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Yesterday, the national capital had recorded 2,024 fresh coronavirus cases — the highest single-day spike in Covid count in August. Last Saturday, the national capital had reportedly recorded 1,954 fresh coronavirus cases. On preceding two days, the city had reported in excess of 1,800 cases.

According to the latest health bulletin, 18 fresh deaths due to Covid-19 were put on record today, which took the total number of such casualties to 4,444 in Delhi so far.

The Covid patients who recovered and were discharged from different city hospitals over the last 24 hours numbered 1,507 and this pushed the cumulative total of such patients in the national capital to 1,55,678 so far. Delhi’s Covid recovery rate was 89.08 per cent now.

The bulletin stated that the number of hospitalised coronavirus patients was 5,392 in the city. There were 14,626 active cases of coronavirus infection. The patients undergoing treatment on home isolation were counted as being 7,876.

The number of containment zones or red zones in the national capital stood at 833.

Meanwhile, Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain said the Arvind Kejriwal government was now focusing on increased Covid testing and that the aim was to ensure thatno coronavirus case was left untraced.

According to Jain, the government had sufficient stock of Covid-19 testing kits for 1015 days, and would procure more from the market to reach the level of 40,000 tests per day as planned.

He said that the government was now providing testing facility at hospitals and dispensaries for five hours (9 am to 2 pm). Earlier, it was only for a three-hour duration.

Jain also said that many people were going out without wearing face masks. The enforcement teams have been deployed to penalise such people in the city.

The police had been authorised to impose fines on such violators of the Covid prevention rules, he added