Delhi on Saturday reported 6,953 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, taking the number of cases in the national capital to 4,30,784.
According to a Health Bulletin from the Delhi government, Delhi reports 6,953 fresh positive cases and 79 deaths today. The total number of cases in Delhi rises to 4,30,784. The total numbers of active and recovered cases are 40,258 and 3,83,614, respectively.
The Cumulative positivity rate is 8.53 per cent. The case fatality rate is 1.61 per cent. The number of containment zones in Delhi as of date are 3857.
Attributing the rise of the COVID-19 cases in Delhi to its air pollution, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Saturday said that at least 13 per cent of it is due to the poor air quality.
In the last 10 days, the national capital has witnessed a sudden sharp spike in air pollution levels.
"In the last few days, Delhi has reported more than 6,000 COVID cases per day. At least 13 per cent of the rise has been estimated to be due to pollution," said Dr Rajan Sharma, National President, IMA.
He added air pollution is one of the most important social determinants of health. "The air pollution damages the inner lining of the lungs and hence increases the severity of the COVID-19 infection. Increased air pollution leads to an increased inflammatory response. Patients with respiratory diseases may find it difficult to breathe even if the AQI (air quality index) is between 50 and 100," said Dr Sharma.
According to the Meteorological Department, the air quality index in Delhi remained above 350 on November 7, way above the safe limit of 50.
( With inputs from ANI )
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor