Delhi today recorded 442 fresh coronavirus infections (Covid-19) following 79,777 tests, with the positivity rate plummeting to 0.55 per cent, according to the Delhi government’s latest health bulletin.

The national capital’s coronavirus caseload thus climbed to 6,27,698, the health bulletin said.

The count of Covid-19 patients who got cured and were discharged from different healthcare facilities over the past 24 hours was 557, which raised the cumulative total of such recoveries in the city to 6,12,527, the bulletin stated.

Delhi reported 12 fresh Covid-linked deaths, which pushed its coronavirus toll to 10,609. The death rate based on the last 10 days’ data was now 3.07 per cent.

Those Covid patients getting treatment under home isolation numbered 2,285, the bulletin stated. Delhi’s active coronavirus cases dropped to 4,562 from yesterday’s 4,689. The number of containment zones (red zones) in the city dipped to 3,400 from yesterday’s 3,491, the bulletin added. Delhi had yesterday reported 384 coronavirus cases — the lowest in more than seven months — when 50,288 tests were conducted.

The city had logged 12 Covid-linked fatalities and the positivity rate had stood at 0.76 per cent. On 3 January, the singleday figure of infections caused by the contagious, deadly virus in the national capital was 424 and on 2 January it was logged at 494. The daily count of Covid cases in Delhi began to decrease to less than 1000 since 21 December when 803 such cases were identified.

On 22 December, Delhi reported 939 cases and on 23 December the figure was 871. There was an exception to this trend on 24 December when the cases detected numbered 1,063. On 25 December again, the daily count dropped to 756 and on 26 December, it came down to 655. On 27 December, the tally of Covid cases fell to 757 while on 28 December, the singleday count was 564.

The national capital reported 703 such cases on 29 December and 677 on 30 December.

The number of coronavirus cases came down to 574 on 31 December and 585 on 1 January. The fatalities due to Covid had yesterday dropped to 12 from 3 January’s 14. The recovery rate was yesterday 97.56 per cent. Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain had last Saturday pointed out that the city’s positivity rate had been below one per cent for the past 11 days, and new cases were the lowest since 17 May.

The city has been witnessing a consistent dip in fresh coronavirus cases, positivity rate, deaths and active cases tally besides an improvement in the recovery rate for the past few weeks.