Gujarat’s tally of COVID-19 infected persons has reached 572 with 56 cases being recorded on Monday. With one more death, the toll has risen to 26 while 54 persons had been cured and discharged.
Ten persons were discharged after complete recovery from the infectious disease.
The State has tested 14,252 samples out of which 572 tested positive, 12,970 tested negative while results for 709 samples are pending.
As per the Health department data, 484 patients are stable while eight are critical and on ventilator support.
“We have increased testings,” said Principal Secretary (Health) Jayanti Ravi told the media.
The contagious disease has spread to 20 of the 33 districts but the bulk — 427 cases of 572 — has come from two cities: Ahmedabad 320 and Vadodara 107.
In deaths also, these two cities have contributed more than 50% — 13 in Ahmedabad and three in Vadodara.
The government’s focus in on these two cities which have emerged as the main clusters particularly in those pockets of these cities from where the cases have emanated.
“Stringent measures are being taken to contain the further spread ” an official said. “One of the strategies adopted by the government is to undertake mass testings in certain pockets of the clusters. We are testing around 100 samples per day in Vadodara and will increase it substantially,” said senior IAS officer Vinod Rao, who has been deputed by the State government to oversee the efforts in the city.
In Ahmedabad also, testing has increased from 25 samples per day 10 days back to now around 750-800 samples a day.
“So far, around 6,000 samples have been tested in Ahmedabad city alone,” said Municipal Commissioner Vijay Nehra, adding that in the next 2-3 days, testing would further increase to around 1,000 samples.
