Gujarat sees 239 new cases, 19 deaths

Only eight patients discharged after recovery, suggesting slow recovery rate

22/04/2020,

 SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,AHMEDABAD

Keeping a check: Border Security Force personnel on a patrol in the Behrampur area of Gujarat’s capital Ahmedabad. AFPAFP

Novel coronavirus infections continued unabated in Gujarat, adding 239 cases and 19 deaths on Tuesday, bringing the State to the second position in both the number of cases (2,178) and deaths (90), after neighbouring Maharashtra.

On Tuesday, as many as 15 deaths were recorded in Ahmedabad alone, which is the single largest cluster with 1,373 cases and 53 deaths so far, two in Surat, and one each in Bharuch and Bhavnagar.

Only eight patients were discharged from the State after recovery, suggesting that the recovery rate is very slow, while new cases and casualties are surging. So far, only 139 patients have recovered and been discharged from hospitals.

The pandemic has now spread to as many as 28 out of 33 districts in the State.

According to the Health Department’s data, as of Tuesday, there were 14 critically ill COVID-19 patients on ventilator support, while 1,935 are stable.

The State has so far tested 36,829 samples. Fourteen government laboratories and four private labs have been approved for carrying out tests by the Indian Council for Medical Research.

“The State has been witnessing a spike in infections and deaths, both extremely worrisome factors for Maharashtra,” a State government official told The Hindu. He added that the situation is worsening in Ahmedabad and to some extent in Surat, the largest cities in the State.

Expand capacity

To deal with the surge in cases, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has now decided to expand the capacity of its main S.P.V. Hospital from 500 beds to 1,000 beds, while it has also created a 2,000-bed COVID-19 care centre at the University hostel campus, where patients with mild symptoms are treated, whereas serious patients are admitted in the SPV Hospital. In Surat, so far, 347 cases have been reported, alongside 12 casualties.

Meanwhile, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic spreading to more areas of the State, the government has roped in five senior IAS officers and rushed them to various districts to oversee arrangements, and monitor how the local authorities are dealing with the evolving epidemic.