Gujarat: COVID-19 cases rise to 871; death toll reaches 36

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Ahmedabad, Apr 16 () The number of COVID-19patients in Gujarat went up to 871 on Thursday after 105 newcases were reported since Wednesday night, officials said.

As three more coronavirus positive persons died duringthis period, the death toll in the state has reached 36,Principal Secretary (Health), Jayanti Ravi, said.

She added that 64 patients have recovered from theinfection and given discharge in the state so far.

Of the 105 new cases reported during the last 12hours, 42 were from Ahmedabad and 35 from Surat, she said.

Other districts where fresh cases were reported are:Anand (8), Vadodara (6), Banaskantha (4), Narmada (4), Rajkot(3) and one each in Gandhinagar, Kheda and Panchmahal.

Ravi said that more cases are emerging because ofintensive surveillance and testing in the hotspots, includingthe areas, which are placed under curfew till April 21 in thewalled city of Ahmedabad.

Those who died in the last 12 hours included a 62-year-old man from Kutch, an 80-year-old man from Botad and a60-year-old woman from Ahmedabad, Ravi said.

In Ahmedabad, most of the cases during the last 12hours have emerged from designated COVID-19 hotspots likeJuhapura, Jamalpur, Behrampura, Danilimda, Bodakdev, Gomtipurand Meghaninagar.

Notably, out of the 33 districts in Gujarat, no casehave been reported in 10 districts so far.

Of the 871 cases in the state so far, majority of themwere reported in five districts - Ahmedabad (492), Vadodara(127), Surat (86), Rajkot (27) and Bhavnagar (26).

Giving details about the efforts being taken by thegovernment, Ravi said the authorities have conducted as manyas 20,204 tests to identify the coronavirus infected persons.

"For every million, we have conducted 267 tests, muchhigher than the national average of 177 tests per million,"she said. PJT PD GKNP NP