NE NEWS SERVICE
AHMEDABAD, MAY 21
Gujarat recorded 4,251 coronavirus positive cases and 65 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking the tally to 7,80,71 and the toll to 9,469, an official said on Friday.
The discharge of 8,783 people increased the recovery count to 6,86,581, or 87.97 percent of the caseload, leaving the state with 84,421 active cases, of which 692 are on ventilator support, he said.
“Of the deaths reported during the last 24 hours, 10 took place in Ahmedabad district, seven each in Surat and Vadodara and six in Rajkot district. Of the new cases, 803 were in Ahmedabad city, followed by 367 in Vadodara city, 269 in Surat city, 175 in Rajkot city and 172 in Vadodara district,” he said.
An official release said 1,50,67,752 people had been vaccinated against COVID-19 so far in the state, including 1.17 lakh during the day.
In Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, 27 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours and 95 people were discharged.
Gujarat’s COVID-19 figures are positive cases 7,80,471, new cases 4,251, deaths 9,469, discharged 6,86,581, active cases 84,421 and people tested so far – figures not released.
Over 1,100 mucor patients admitted in hospitals in 4 major cities
More than 1,100 mucormycosis patients who had recovered from COVID-19 are undergoing treatment at government hospitals in four major cities of Gujarat, officials said on Friday.
The state government has declared mucormycosis a pandemic and notifiable disease under the Epidemic Diseases Act, which means the hospitals need to notify the government about suspected and confirmed cases of this fatal fungal infection, an official release said.
Hospitals are also required to follow guidelines on screening, diagnosis and treatment of mucormycosis (also called black fungus) issued by the Centre and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), it added.
While there is no data on the exact number of mucormycosis cases in Gujarat as yet, more than 1,100 patients are currently admitted to government-run hospitals in Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat and Vadodara cities. The highest 450 patients are admitted to the Rajkot civil hospital, 350 to the main civil hospital of Ahmedabad, around 110 in two state-run hospitals in Surat city and around 225 patients are receiving treatment in government hospitals in Vadodara city, including 148 at SSG hospital, local officials said.
As per a rough estimate, 70 to 80 persons with confirmed mucormycosis are being admitted to these hospitals every day since the second wave of coronavirus pandemic began in Gujarat in March, officials said.
In Rajkot, the authorities have set up a separate ward at a government-run hostel, which is already in use as a Covid Care Centre, for mucormycosis patients who have either undergone treatment or do not require a surgery, said Civil Superintendent R S Trivedi.
“We have kept 500 beds reserved for mucormycosis patients in the civil hospital. While 450 beds are already occupied, we are getting around 30 new patients every day. So we have decided to make use of the Samras Hostel facility too,” said Trivedi.
CSR: Bayer sets up oxygen plant at Vapi hospital
German drug and agrochemicals major Bayer on Friday said it has set up an oxygen plant with a capacity of 35 normal cubic metre per hour (NM3 per hour) at a local hospital in Vapi, Gujarat.
The plant, officially commissioned on Friday at LG Rotary Hospital, has a capacity of 35 NM3 per hour of oxygen (1.18 metric tonnes per day) and will provide round-the-clock oxygen supply for the treatment of COVID-19 patients, Bayer said in a statement.
In addition, the plant will have an oxygen storage tank with a capacity of 2 kilolitres.
Bayer set up the oxygen plant in three weeks by converting its existing 200 NM3 per hour nitrogen plant at its Vapi site to manufacture medical-grade oxygen with a purity level of 91-93 per cent.
Bayer Vapi Director and Site Manager Narendra Shah said, “The oxygen generation plant is a small step in this direction, to contribute towards safeguarding the health and lives of patients in Vapi and neighbouring cities.”
The company is fully committed to supporting its employees, stakeholders and local communities to emerge stronger together from the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
