NE NEWS SERVICE
AHMEDABAD, APR 14
Gujarat reported the highest spike of 7,410 fresh COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours while a record 73 patients died, the state health department said on Wednesday.
Extraordinary response to drive through testing,1st in India at GMDC ground organised by @AmdavadAMC in association with SUPRATECH Labs. 600+ get tested while sitting in their cars in just 2 hrs.Citizens are encouraged to take benefit to avoid queues at Labs & get results faster. pic.twitter.com/YSmLTauno7
— Dr Rajiv Kumar Gupta IAS (Retd) (@drrajivguptaias) April 14, 2021
The cumulative count of infections in Gujarat has reached 3,67,616 while the death toll climbed to 4,995, the department said in a release.
Of the 73 fatalities, 25 deaths occurred each in Surat and Ahmedabad districts, while 9 patients died in Rajkot, 7 in Vadodara, 2 each in Sabarkantha and Junagadh, and one each in Amreli, Dang and Gandhinagar, it said.
The state is now left with 39,250 active cases.
At 2,491, Ahmedabad city registered the highest number of new cases in the state in the last 24 hours, followed by 1,424 cases in Surat city, 551 in Rajkot city, 317 in Vadodara city, 231 in Surat district, 191 in Mehsana, 189 in Jamnagar, 135 in Vadodara district and 124 in Bharuch.
A total of 2,642 patients were discharged from hospitals during the last 24 hours, taking the tally of recoveries in Gujarat to 3,23,371, the department said.
Gujarat’s case recovery rate now stands at 87.96 percent.
A total of 85.29 lakh eligible people have been administered the first dose of the anti-COVID 19 vaccine in Gujarat so far while 12.03 lakh beneficiaries have received the second dose, said the release.
Gujarat’s COVID-19 figures are positive cases 3,67,616, new cases 7,410, deaths 4,995, discharged 3,23,371, active cases 39,250 and people tested so far – figures not released.
A total of 111 new cases were reported in the adjoining Union Territory of Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu in the last 24 hours, officials said.
With 29 patients being discharged during the day, the count of recoveries in the UT reached 3,728 while 656 are active cases. Two patients had died since the outbreak of the pandemic.
2,200 people tested in drive-through testing facility
As many as 2,200 persons were administered RT-PCR tests at a drive through facility launched in Ahmedabad city on Wednesday, an official said.
The facility was launched days after the Gujarat High Court pulled up the state government over delays in receiving results of RT-PCR tests.
“On the first day of its launch, as many as 2,200 persons gave their samples at our drive-through testing facility created in collaboration with Neuberg Supratech Laboratory at GMDC ground in the city,” said senior IAS officer Rajiv Kumar Gupta, who is overseeing the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation”s COVID-19 operations.
In a release, the AMC said the drive-through RT-PCR testing facility is the first initiative of its kind in the country.
Under this initiative, people can give their samples without alighting from their vehicles at the facility.
While the fee has been fixed at Rs 800, the facility will remain open between 8 am and 8 pm, it was stated.
According to the release, the private laboratory has set up five sample collection centres at the ground and prior appointment is not necessary for testing.
Test reports will be sent on email or WhatsApp within 24 to 36 hours, the release said.
The facility will benefit physically-challenged, ill and elderly persons as they won”t have to stand in queues or wait to get themselves tested, the AMC said.
This will also stop the spread of the virus from asymptomatic patient who flock laboratories and inadvertently infect others, the release stated.
