Gujarat records highest single-day surge in Covid-19 cases, minister among 783 new cases

Gujarat reported yet another record surge in its daily new confirmed coronavirus cases in the state with 783 cases, its biggest till date, that included a minister in the Vijay Rupani government. The news has led to a panic as the minister Raman Patkar participated in the state cabinet and other meetings at the secretariat and Chief Minister's residence over the last one week.

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Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel confirmed on Wednesday that Patkar has been tested positive for the virus and he is admitted to a hospital in Ahmedabad. Besides, 92-year-old mother of union minister Parshottam Rupala also tested positive for the virus. BJP office bearers said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Rupala, who is minister of state for Panchayati Raj, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, and inquired about her health.

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On the other hand, the health condition of former union minister and ex Gujarat Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki, who is under treatment for the coronavirus virus, remains critical. A senior Congress leader said that Solanki is on ventilator since Tuesday. The doctors have been taking guidance from the expert doctors from AIIMS, New Delhi to treat Solanki who headed the Gujarat Congress twice as its president. He had contested Rajya Sabha polls held on June 19 which he lost. Two days later, he found infected with the virus and since then he is under treatment.

Meanwhile, with 783 new positive cases in the past 24 hours, the state's tally rose to 38,419. The state also recorded 16 fresh deaths, taking the toll to 1995. The number of discharged patients increased to 27,313 while total active cases stood at 9,111.

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Ahmedabad, the worst-hit city in the state, recorded 149 new cases in the 24 hours, one of the lowest in the more than two months while Surat topped the chart with 215 cases. In terms of deaths, Ahmedabad's toll reached 1,501 after it recorded five more deaths, another lowest in over two months, while three persons died in Surat, taking the city's toll to 242.

Over the past two weeks, the state has improved its mortality rate from over 6%, highest in the country, to 5.19% which continues to be highest in the country. Similarly, the death rate of Ahmedabad city, which was once over 7%, has come down to 6.7%.