There had been 472 new COVID-19 cases and 11 deaths since Saturday. (Photo Credit: Pixabay)
New Delhi:
India has been seeing a sharp rise in the number of positive coronavirus cases in the last few days. Since Thursday, every day has seen record number of COVID-19 cases being reported. One of the major factors in the steep rise is the cases linked to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in west Nizamuddin area of Delhi.
The rate of doubling of COVID-19 cases in India is 4.1 days presently but if the cases linked to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation would not have happened, it would have been 7.4 days, the Health Ministry said on Sunday. Which means that the rate of doubling has almost doubled due to the Nizamuddin Markaz event.
Addressing the media on Sunday, Joint Secretary in the ministry Lav Agarwal said there had been 472 new COVID-19 cases and 11 deaths since Saturday. The total coronavirus cases stand at 3,374 and the death toll now stands at 79. He said 267 people have recovered.
Talking about the Tablighi Jamaat congregation, Agarwal said, "If the Tablighi Jamaat incident had not taken place and we compare the rate of doubling that is in how many days the cases have doubled, we will see that currently it is 4.1 days (including Jamaat cases) and if the incident had not taken place and additional cases had not come then the doubling rate would have been 7.4 days."
Meanwhile, an ICMR official asserted that there was no evidence that COVID-19 was airborne.
