Delhi on Friday reported 24,383 new cases of Covid-19, while 34 patients died due to the disease in the last 24 hours, government data showed.

The number of cases were less than Thursday’s all-time high tally of 28,867 infections. However, 79,578 tests were conducted on Friday, as compared to 98,832 on Thursday. In fact, the test positivity rate rose to 30.64 % from 29.21% on Friday.

The number of active cases stood at 92,273, of which 2,529 patients were admitted in Delhi hospitals. As many as 815 patients were on oxygen support, of which 85 were also on ventilation, according to the government data.

Despite the high number of daily cases in the city, the authorities have maintained that it is not a matter of grave concern. On Friday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal reiterated the government’s stance on the matter while speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event to launch a new fleet of buses.

“The cases are rising at a rapid pace...There are no two ways about it,” he said. “The Omicron variant is quite transmissible and infectious. But there is no need to panic...We have made all the preparations and there is no shortage of beds.”

Earlier on Friday, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain had said 75% of the people who have died due to coronavirus in Delhi had not received a single dose of vaccine.

Bengaluru reports over 20,000 cases

Karnataka on Friday reported 28,723 new Covid-19 cases and 14 deaths in the last 24 hours. Capital Bengaluru alone accounted for 20,121 of the infections, state Health Minister Sudhakar K said in a tweet. On Thursday, the state had reported 25,005 cases and eight deaths.

There were 1,41,337 active cases in the state, of which more than 1.01 lakh were in Bengaluru. The state’s positivity rate stood at 12.98%, a marginal rise from 12.39% on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Mumbai reported 11,317 fresh cases and nine deaths, government data showed. On Thursday, the Maharashtra capital had logged 13,702 new case and six deaths.

The number of active cases also dipped from 95,123 on Thursday to 84,352 on Friday.

West Bengal reported 22,645 new cases, of which Kolkata recorded 6,867. The state’s positivity rate is 31.14%.

In Tamil Nadu, 23,459 new cases were reported in the past 24 hours, with 8,963 fresh cases in Chennai. The state’s positivity rate was at 15.3%, and Chennai’s was 22.6%.