Gujarat on Saturday reported an increase of 277 new COVID-19 cases, the sharpest single day jump, and 12 deaths, taking the State’s total to 1,376 cases and 53 deaths.
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The outbreak has now covered 25 of the State’s 33 districts, with fatalities reported from 12 districts.
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Gujarat now has 10 people on ventilator support, while 1,220 patients are under treatment and stable. So far, 93 persons have recovered and been discharged from hospitals. According to the Health Department, so far 26,102 samples have been tested, out of which 1,376 tested positive.
Ahmedabad is the worst hit, contributing more than 50% of the total positive cases in the State. As on Saturday, Ahmedabad had recorded 862 cases, out of which 25 patients have succumbed, while 27 have recovered and been discharged.
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On Saturday, the city reported 239 new infections and four deaths.
Within the city, almost 95 % of the cases have emerged from slums and congested pockets, spurring concerns of community transmission of the disease. The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has increased testing, with almost 1,000 samples being collected per day.
Principal Secretary (Health) Jayanti Ravi said there was no need to panic over the sharp increase in cases as authorities had expected the number to rise in the wake of the State’s decision to adopt a more aggressive testing strategy.
