NE NEWS SERVICE
AHMEDABAD, NOV 23
Gujarat on Monday reported 1,487 fresh coronavirus positive cases, taking the count of infections to 1,98,899, the state health department said.
With 17 more people succumbing to the viral infection, including 13 in Ahmedabad, the cumulative toll in the state mounted to 3,876, the department said in a release.
At the same time, 1,234 patients were discharged after treatment, taking the tally of recoveries to 1,81,187, it said.
The number of active cases has risen to 13,836.
Gujarat’s COVID-19 case recovery rate now stands at 91.09 per cent.
At 344, Ahmedabad reported the highest number of new cases in the state in the day, followed by 270 cases in Surat, 172 in Vadodara and 154 in Rajkot.
Among other districts, Gandhinagar reported 82 new cases, Mehsana 46, Patan 44, Banaskantha 30, Anand 27, Bhavnagar 26, Panchmahal 25, Kheda, Sabarkantha and Narmada 23 each, Morbi and Jamnagar 21 each, Amreli and Mahisagar 18 each, Junagadh 17, Dahod 16, Surendranagar 14, Bharuch 13, etc.
With 69,521 COVID-19 detection tests being conducted in the state in the day, the number of total samples tested so far rose to 73,04,705.
Gujarat Govt issues guidelines for social gatherings in the light of the current COVID-19 situation in the state.#GujaratFightsCovid19 pic.twitter.com/I4GlqU7jJp
— CMO Gujarat (@CMOGuj) November 23, 2020
In the Union Territory of Daman, Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, the total number of cases rose by four to 3,297, officials said.
With three recoveries, the tally of the patients discharged so far in the UT rose to 3,255, it said.
The UT has 40 active cases while Diu has no active case.
The UT has recorded two COVID-19 deaths, officials said.
Gujarat’s COVID-19 figures are positive cases 1,98,899, new cases 1,487, deaths 3,876, discharged 1,81,187, active cases 13,836 and people tested so far 73,04,705.
Ahmedabad records 344 cases, 353 recoveries; 13 die
Ahmedabad reported 344 new coronavirus cases on Monday, the highest for a district in Gujarat, taking its tally to 47,653, the state health department said.
With 13 more deaths, also the highest in the state, the number of fatalities in the district rose to 1,981, said the department in a release.
COVID-19: 60 health workers at Ahmedabad civil hospital infected
At the same time, the number of recoveries at 353 exceeded new cases, pushing the count of patients discharged from hospitals so far to 42,331, said the department.
Ahmedabad city reported 319 new cases and 331 recoveries, while the rural parts of the district registered 25 fresh infections and 22 discharges, it said.
All the 13 deaths were reported within the corporation limits (in the city).
As per a COVID-19 bulletin released by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), the city has 2,865 active cases, with both the west and north-west zone accounting for an equal number at 465 followed by the south-west zone at 457.
Out of the total 1,981 deaths in the district, 1,916 occurred in city hospitals, it said.
Out of a total of 2,705 beds made available for COVID-19 patients across various private hospitals in the city, 2,544, or 94 per cent, are occupied, said the Ahmedabad Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association in a release.
As many as 383 ICU beds without ventilators, out of the total 391, (98 per cent), are occupied. Also, 95 per cent ICU beds with ventilators, or 197, are occupied, it said.
To prevent private hospitals from admitting COVID-19 patients who do not require hospitalisation and thereby create a scarcity of beds for the needy, the association issued a set of guidelines for these medical facilities.
Amid a shortage of beds, more beds are being requisitioned for the treatment of COVID-19 patients, it said.
The state government has also added new facilities for the treatment of COVID-19 patients by adding hundreds of beds to ensure there is no shortage, officials said.
Surat adds 270 fresh COVID-19 cases
Surat district on Monday reported 270 new coronavirus positive cases, taking the tally to 40,487, while the total death toll rose to 1,052 with one person succumbing to the infection, the state health department said.
Surat city reported 217 new cases and 185 recoveries in the day, while the rural parts reported 53 new cases and 47 recoveries, it said.
The case recovery rate in Surat now stands at 94 per cent, the municipal corporation said, adding that 28,750 patients have been discharged so far.
Meanwhile, officials of the civic body discussed measures to contain the spread of coronavirus in a meeting held with industry representatives.
SMC (Surat Municipal Corporation) Commissioner BN Pani told reporters the number of daily COVID-19 tests being conducted daily will be increased from 12,000 to 15,000.
He said more tests will be conducted on workers employed in the diamond and textile sectors.
“We consider the textile and diamond markets to be super spreader venues. We have set up testing venues in textile markets for people to walk in and get themselves tested for the virus…We will increase testing from 12,000 to 15,000. Contacts of those found positive for coronavirus will be traced and tested without delay,” Pani said.
A total of 13,385 people remained quarantined in the city while 432 patients are admitted in various hospitals, including 131 in two government hospitals.
The civic body said the bed occupancy rate in the city”s civil hospital is 2.70 per cent. It is 8.65 per cent in the civic-run SMIMER hospital.
Night curfew in 4 cities: Over 1,700 ST buses cancelled
The Gujarat State Road Transportation Corporation has cancelled over 1,700 bus services due to curfew between 9 pm and 6 am in Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot because of a spike in coronavirus cases over the past few days, an official said on Monday.
GSRTC secretary KD Desai said 1,754 services have been cancelled as these buses depart during the 9 pm to 6 am time-frame from depots in these cities.
He said the cancelled services comprise 450 from Ahmedabad, 378 from Rajkot, 531 from Vadodara and 395 from Surat, but added that more buses were being deployed during the day to give relief to passengers, including from Geeta Mandir, Ahmedabad’s main bus station.
Desai said long-distance buses, which ply during the night, will bypass these four cities and use outer ring roads to pick up and drop passengers from designated spots where GSRTC supervisors have been placed to coordinate operations in the night.
