Gujarat coronavirus infections cross 1,000 mark, toll 38

The number of fatalities due to coronavirus reached 38 in Gujarat on Friday, while the number of people infected with the virus crossed the 1,000 mark even as the health authorities intensified surveillance and testing in five containment zones in the state to curb the spread of Covid-19.

Gandhinagar, April 17 The number of fatalities due to coronavirus reached 38 in Gujarat on Friday, while the number of people infected with the virus crossed the 1,000 mark even as the health authorities intensified surveillance and testing in five containment zones in the state to curb the spread of Covid-19.

As per the state health officials, Gujarat has reported 250 Covid cases in the last 48 hours, taking the total count of such infections in the state to 1,021. 92 fresh cases were registered in the state, with two deaths confirmed during the last 12 hours.

With an increased and intensified surveillance and testing of Corona virus infection, carried out on a campaign mode inside the hotspots of Gujarat, especially the containment areas in five major cities, the health authorities confirmed 92 new positive cases detected in the last 12 hours in the state, out of which Ahmedabad has the maximum once again.

In the last 12 hours Ahmedabad saw 45 new positive cases springing up (33 M, 12 F), followed by Surat with 14 cases (8 M, 6 F), Vadodara 9 (6 M, 3 F) Bharuch 8 (5 M, 3 F), Narmada 5 (2 M, 3 F), Botad 3 (2 M, 1 F), Panchmahals 2 (2F) and one female each in Patan, Chotta Udepur and Dahod and a male each in Anand and Kheda.

Two more infected patients succumbed to the virus on Friday, as a male (31) admitted to the SSG hospital, Vadodara died. Another male (55) with hypertension admitted to the Civil hospital Ahmedabad also died from the virus.

Nearing the 600 mark, Ahmedabad has the maximum number of positive cases 590, followed by Vadodara 137, Surat 102, Rajkot 28, Bhavnagar and Anand with 26 each, Bharuch 21, Gandhinagar 17, Patan 15, Narmada 11, Panchmahals 8, Banaskantha and Chotta Udepur with 6 each, Kutch, Botad and Mehsana with 4 each, Porbandar, Kheda and Dahod with 3 each, Gir-Somnath 2 and Jamnagar, Morbi, Sabarkantha, Mahisagar and Aravalli with one each.

"Out of the total 909 active cases, the condition of 901 is stable, are on normal air or simple oxygen, whereas the condition of 4 is critical and they are on ventilator," said Jayanti Ravi, the principal secretary, Health and family welfare Department, Gujarat.

"In the last 24 hours, we have taken 1,608 samples for the testing, where 150 have been found positive, 1,458 negative. The total number of test carried out by the health department till now is 21,812 out of which 1,021 are positive, 20,791 are negative," added Ravi.

The total number of quarantined in the state is 15,914, where 13,689 are under home quarantined, 2,054 in government facilities and 171 in private facilities.

A man (64) admitted to the Civil hospital Ahmedabad was discharged on Friday. A total of 74 positive patients have been discharged till now.

With more and more positive cases of Corona emerging from Gujarat's hotspots or cluster areas, in the walled city area of Ahmedabad, five containment zones in Surat, Vadodara's Nagarwada areas, the health authorities intensified the surveillance and testing in these areas.

But even in the other areas apart from hotspots, the number of positive cases are increasing like in Anand, Bharuch, Narmada, Patan and other districts as well, for which the health authorities are worried about.

( With inputs from IANS )