Coronavirus latest: at least a quarter of New Delhi population infected, study says
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According to the result of the survey, 23.48 per cent of the 21,387 people whose blood samples were tested had Covid-19 antibodies, a government statement said.
The study, which was conducted by the National Centre for Disease Control, showed that the infection rate in New Delhi was much higher than the number of confirmed cases indicated. For a city with an approximate population of 20 million, the total number of cases at a 23.4 per cent rate should stand around 4.7 million. But Delhi currently has a total of 123,747 cases, less than 1 per cent of its population.
The government said the difference indicated that a “large number of infected persons remain asymptomatic” and commended “proactive efforts” like lockdown measures to prevent the spread of infection.
As only 23.48 per cent of people were affected in Delhi six months into the epidemic, a significant proportion of the population remained vulnerable and containment and preventive measures needed to continue with the same vigour, the government added.
Delhi, along with Mumbai, is one of the epicentres of the outbreak in India, although infections in both cities have declined in recent days. Delhi recorded 954 new cases on Monday, down from its previous single-day spike of 3,947 infections on June 23. Overall, 3,663 people have died from Covid-19 in the city.