Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Monday said that the third wave of coronavirus cases in the Capital was at its peak and according to experts, it may last for the next four to five days, ANI reported.

“It seems Delhi’s coronavirus cases are at peak now and experts say it can last for 4-5 days,” he was quoted as saying by the news agency.

Jain said that most cases were among people belonging to the working class. He also pointed out that many people were not wearing masks.

The health minister also said that the government has added 110 intensive care unit beds to government-run hospitals amid the surge in cases. Jain added that the coronavirus death rate in Delhi was 1.59%.

On Sunday, Delhi registered its highest single-day increase in coronavirus cases with 7,745 new infections in 24 hours. This was the second time the daily record of coronavirus cases in Delhi breached the 7,000-mark – the first was on November 6, with 7,178 cases. On Saturday, Delhi had reported 79 deaths, the highest in over four months.

Also read:

  1. Coronavirus: Delhi records biggest single-day rise of 7,745 infections
  2. Air pollution may lead to faster spread of Covid-19, health ministry tells parliamentary panel

Follow today’s live updates on the coronavirus here.

With the record surge in cases, Delhi overtook Maharashtra and Kerala in terms of daily infections, according to the Union health ministry.

Jain had on Sunday said that Delhi seemed to have reached the peak of its third wave and the cases number of cases were likely to reduce soon, NDTV reported.

The sharp surge in infections in Delhi came amid the festive season and rapidly-deteriorating air quality. The Capital’s air quality remained in the “severe” category for the fifth consecutive day on Monday due to increased stubble burning and unfavourable wind speed.

Last week, the health ministry had told a parliamentary committee that air pollution may lead to faster spread of the coronavirus infection, as it causes coughing and sneezing. Citing a study published in The Lancet Planetary Health, the health ministry said there is an average loss of 1.7 years of life expectancy in India due to air pollution.

It also said that in Delhi there is 1.7 times higher risk of respiratory ailments and prevalence of breathing problems and that the city reports 10,000 to 30,000 deaths caused due to air pollution annually.