A 60-year-old woman died after testing positive for Covid-19 while undergoing treatment for other severe health conditions at a Delhi hospital, a health official said on Sunday.
It marks the Capital’s first Covid-19 death amid a recent increase in cases of the viral infection.
According to officials, the woman had severe co-morbidities and the Covid-19 finding was incidental. She had been diagnosed with acute intestinal obstruction post-abdominal surgery.
According to government data, the city reported 56 Covid-19 cases on May 30, taking the total number of cases to 294.
Earlier on Fridya, Delhi health minister Pankaj Singh had said that there was “no Covid (pandemic)” in the city.
Speaking to HT on Friday, he said, “There is no more Covid left. It’s just a viral infection that will subside on its own in a few weeks.”
“There is no need for the public to panic. As a human being it is my request that people should not panic without any reason, as there is no Covid, as of now,” he added.
Delhi remains in the top three states with Covid cases.
According to the central Covid-19 dashboard, which was last updated on Monday, there are 2,710 active cases across the country, at this time, of which 1,147 are in Kerala, followed by Maharashtra (426 cases), and Delhi (294).
Gujarat has reported 223 active cases, and Tamil Nadu 148.
Last week, the Delhi government issued an advisory instructing all hospitals in the city — both public and private — to step up preparedness as a precautionary measure in response to a recent rise in Covid-19 cases in some parts of the country. As of May 19, Delhi had only five active Covid-19 cases, underscoring the minimal prevalence of the virus in the region this year. However, the advisory urged all hospitals to enhance preparedness to deal with the possibility of an upsurge of infections. It stressed on the urgent need to ensure the availability of hospital beds, oxygen supplies, essential medicines, and vaccines.
It also asked hospitals to take “immediate action,” including conducting refresher training for dedicated Covid-19 staff and ensuring all life-saving equipment such as ventilators, BiPAP machines, oxygen concentrators, and PSA units are functional and ready for use.