Daily cases under 2K &189 deaths

New Delhi: Delhi recorded 1,649 new COVID-19 cases, the lowest since March 30, and 189 fatalities on Sunday, while the positivity rate slipped to 2.42 per cent, even as Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal extended the lockdown in the capital by another week.

This is the second day on the trot that the number of deaths remained less than 200.

This is also the lowest daily spike in cases recorded since March 30 (992) and the first time that the count has gone below the 2,000-mark since April 1, when 2,790 people tested positive for the infection.

Delhi had recorded 2,260 cases on Saturday, 3,009 on Friday, 3,231 on Thursday and 3,846 on Wednesday.

The positivity rate was 5.8 per cent on Wednesday, 5.5 per cent on Thursday, 4.76 per cent on Friday and 3.6 per cent on Saturday.

The city recorded 235 deaths on Wednesday, 232 on Thursday, 252 on Friday and 182 on Saturday.

The new COVID-19 fatalities pushed the death toll in the national Capital to 23,202 on Sunday.

In an online briefing, Kejriwal announced extension of the ongoing lockdown in Delhi by another week, saying the process of unlocking will start from May 31 in a phased manner if the number of COVID-19 cases continues to decline.

In the past 24 hours, Delhi recorded around 1,600 positive cases and the positivity rate went further down to below 2.5 per cent, he said.

"I consulted many people and the general opinion favoured a lockdown extension for one week. So, the Delhi government has decided that the lockdown will be extended to 5 am on May 31," he said.

Kejriwal said the lockdown was required so that the gains made after much struggle are not lost.

He said he was in talks with vaccine manufacturers to ensure that the vaccine was available in Delhi, and asserted that his government was ready to spend any amount for it.

A total of 68,043 tests, including 46,745 RT-PCR tests, were conducted a day ago, according to the health bulletin on Sunday.

The number of cumulative cases on Sunday stood at 14,16,868. Over 13.6 lakh patients have recovered from the virus.

The number of active cases decreased to 27,610 on Sunday from 31,308 a day before.

The number of people under home isolation dipped to 15,844 from 18,060 on Sunday while the number of containment zones dropped to 46,570 from 48,429 a day before, the bulletin said.