NE NEWS SERVICE
AHMEDABAD, MAY 27
Gujarat’s coronavirus tally crossed the eight lakh-mark on Thursday with the addition of 2,869 cases, the state health department said.
The case count in the state now stood at 8,00,866, it said.
The death toll in the state reached 9,734 on Thursday after 33 patients succumbed to the infection, including six in Ahmedabad district and four each in Surat and Vadodara.
A total of 9,302 patients recuperated from the infection during the day, which pushed the recovery count to 7,42,050 and the recovery rate to 92.66 percent.
The highest number of 375 new cases were recorded in Vadodara city alone, followed by 338 in Ahmedabad city, 208 in Surat city, 155 in Vadodara district and 115 in Rajkot city.
There are 49,082 active cases in Gujarat at present, of which 583 are on ventilator.
A total of 1,62,76,699 crore people have been vaccinated in the state so far.
During the day, 2.26 lakh persons were administered coronavirus vaccines in Gujarat.
In the adjoining union territory of Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, 11 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours, a release by the authorities said, adding that 27 patients also recovered and were given discharge during the day.
Gujarat’s COVID-19 figures are positive cases 8,00,866, new cases 2,869, death toll 9,734, discharged 7,42,050, active cases 49,082 and people tested so far – figures not released.
Drive-through COVID-19 vaccination centre starts in Ahmedabad
The Ahmedabad civic body on Thursday started a drive-through vaccination centre here for inoculation against COVID-19 of people aged 18 and above.
After the facility opened in the morning at the GMDC ground here in Gujarat, a number of citizens were seen arriving there in their vehicles.
The drive-through facility has been started in collaboration with the Apollo Hospital under public private partnership (PPP) mode, a release issued by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation said.
The hospital management will arrange all the logistics, such as vaccine vials and staff, it said.
People aged 18 and above can reach the facility in their vehicles and get the vaccine dose at Rs 1,000. The facility allows on-the-spot registration instead of prior appointment, the civic body said.
The facility will remain open from 9 am to 5 pm and the payment for the vaccine doses can be made on the spot through cash, card or online modes.
The AMC also said a maximum of 1,000 people could be vaccinated at the drive-through facility every day.
A large number of people reached the venue in their vehicles to get vaccinated early in the morning.
A local resident, who arrived at the facility in his car, said, “Since the appointment slots are not available on the government portal, this is the best option to get the vaccine dose in the present situation.” He said though the vaccination cost at the facility is high, there is no point in complaining because ‘at least we are getting the vaccine’.
The AMC had earlier started a drive-through RT-PCR testing facility at the GMDC ground under the PPP mode.
Govt extends night curfew in 36 cities till June 4
Even as Gujarat continued to see a drop in COVID-19 cases, the state government on Thursday said the night curfew imposed in 36 cities will be extended till June 4.
The state government had on Wednesday decided to relax the night curfew timings by an hour, while keeping the day time restrictions in place.
As per a government release, instead of the earlier curfew timings of 8 pm to 6 am, the night restrictions on people’s movement will be in place till June 4 in 36 cities between 9 pm to 6 am.
Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and Rajkot are among the 36 cities where night curfew is currently in place.
Shops, shopping complexes, salons, APMCs and other commercial establishments are allowed to remain open between 9 am and 3 pm in these cities, it stated.
Restaurants can only provide take-away or home delivery services between 9 am to 9 pm in these 36 cities, the release said.
However, educational institutions, auditoriums, theatres, malls, community halls, water parks, spas, gyms, gardens and swimming pools, will remain closed in the cities, the release said, adding that these establishments were also asked to remain shut in the entire state.
As in the previous week, there will be a total ban on all kinds of religious, political and social gatherings across the state.
While places of worship will remain shut for public for another week, sports complexes and stadiums can operate without spectators, the release said.
The public transport services can function with 50 percent capacity in the state, it was stated.
