635 new COVID-19 cases; Minister’s staff infected

Second highest single-day jump in cases; death toll at 276

The city registered 635 new COVID-19 cases in the the past 24 hours, taking the total to 14,053. This is the second-biggest single-day jump in cases so far.

A record 660 new cases were registered on May 22, as per the government’s health bulletin.

Also, 15 more deaths have been added to the toll, which now stands at 276. But all the deaths did not happen in the past 24 hours.

Of the 14,053 cases, 6,771 people have recovered and there are 7,006 active cases.

Delhi Secretariat

It has emerged that a person working at Health Minister Satyendar Jain’s camp office has tested positive for COVID-19. “He was tested positive on Sunday and has been quarantined. Also, the Minister’s offices have been sanitised,” a Delhi government source said, adding that the patient is the Minister’s personal staff and used to come to the Delhi Secretariat also.

The Delhi government spokesperson did not respond to multiple calls and messages seeking comment.

Earlier, a driver working for the Health and Family Welfare Department at the Delhi Secretariat had tested positive for the virus.

Medical staff recover

Around 100 healthcare workers of Delhi government’s Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, who had been infected, have recovered, said hospital officials.

“Almost all of them have joined the hospital,” a hospital official said.

Three more healthcare workers of the hospital, including a sanitation worker, tested positive on Monday, taking the total number of workers infected to 117.

Meanwhile, doctors working in city hospitals on Monday halted their on-going protest against the government’s decision to cancel 14-day quarantine for all healthcare workers, after they work on COVID-19 duty for the same number of days.

On Sunday, the Chief District Medical Officer (north-west) had issued an order that healthcare workers staying in hotels or bhawans in the district can stay “beyond 14 days of duty”, but up to “only 21 days”.

“Healthcare workers, after doing their duties for 14 days, are at a risk to their families,” the order noted.

Seven days of quarantine

“They have allowed us seven days of quarantine after 14 days of duty. We have halted the protest as we are awaiting official communication on it from the union and Delhi government," said Shivaji Dev Barman, president of Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association India.