Gujarat: 608 discharged —highest in a day; 372 new cases reported in state

Ahmedabad comprised nearly 70 per cent of the total new cases for the day with 253 more testing positive for Covid-19. These include 17 cases from the rural jurisdiction of Ahmedabad, two of whom died -- a 52-year old man from Dascroi and another 60-year old woman from Viramgam taluka.

Gujarat reported the highest single day discharge at 608 even as 372 new Covid-19 positive cases were reported across the state on Friday. Twenty deaths were reported in the state, of which 18 were from Ahmedabad as the total mortality in the district neared 800. Surat, which reported two deaths, also crossed the 1500-mark with 45 more testing positive.

The total positive cases reported till date are 15,966 of which 6370 are active and 8611 have been discharged. The state has reported 984 deaths so far.

Ahmedabad comprised nearly 70 per cent of the total new cases for the day with 253 more testing positive for Covid-19. These include 17 cases from the rural jurisdiction of Ahmedabad, two of whom died — a 52-year old man from Dascroi and another 60-year old woman from Viramgam taluka. Gokulanand Society in Kantha itself, reported four cases, including that of the 52-year-old who died. Dholka reported five more cases while Sanand reported three new cases.

From the AMC jurisdiction at least 10 cases were reported from Amraiwadi, three tested positive from Sabarmati Central Jail while, 17 from one settlement — Jagabhai ni Chali — in Sabarmati, including a two-year-old girl.

Vadodara remained just shy of 1,000, after reporting 34 more cases while Chhota Udepur tally stood at 31 with seven new cases, including two workers who returned home to Dhamodi village from outside the district. Mehsana too reported seven new cases, taking the total here to 112.

Dangs district in Gujarat, has been put into the green zone with no containment areas, and no buffer zones, after not a single person tested positive in the last 28 days. Dang has also tested the lowest among all 33 districts, with only 617 samples as of Thursday. This is less than half of the second district to test the least — Mehsana — which took 1309 samples as of Thursday. Dang had reported three positive cases, all of whom fully recovered, District Collector N K Damor said.

As per district health department officials, the first positive case came to light on April 23, of a nurse working in the Ahwa Civil hospital. The nurse, a resident of Lahanjadadar village in Subir taluka, had returned from her home district, Surat.

Another nurse of Bhadmal village in Vaghai taluka tested positive on April 27, while a third nurse tested positive on April 29. All three nurses were below 26 years of age. The last Covid-19 patient in the district was discharged on May 10. According to the health officials, the three nurses had a travel history and were working in different hospitals in Surat.

“All three nurses had undergone 14 days of treatment. Later, they were again tested and when their report turned up negative they were discharged. After their discharge, they were instructed to remain at home for seven more days. Finally, we have lifted all the containment zones, buffer zones and had put Dangs district in green zone,” Damor said.

AMC on Friday also issued an order listing out 42 hospitals which are presently working in service of Covid-19 patients. Among the 42 were two of the eight hospitals that the Gujarat High Court had taken specific note of to not have been requisitioned by AMC when it was announced that private hospitals too will have to bear part of the burden of treating Covid-19 patients.

The two are Apollo Hospital at Paldi and Anand Surgical Hospital in Naroda. As per the office order, each of the 42 hospitals have been also designated an AMC official for coordination purposes.