Gujarat reports biggest single-day spike in Covid-19 cases

The sharp rise in Covid-19 cases has left the Covid-19-designated hospitals gasping for breath

Gujarat on Thursday reported its biggest single-day spike in Covid-19 cases with 4,021 cases and 35 deaths in 24 hours. The steep surge in Covid-19 cases has plunged the state's hospitals into chaos with patients struggling to secure a bed. Although the state government announced increasing the number of beds, the sharp rise in cases has left the Covid-19-designated hospitals gasping for breath.

A video of a dead body on a pull cart in Vadodara, patients lying on hospital floors in Bhavnagar awaiting doctors and a large number of people lining up for a particular injection for treating coronavirus infection in Ahmedabad were the order of the day in the state. State Congress president Amit Chavda and Rajya Sabha MP Shaktisinh Gohil uploaded these videos on their Twitter account to criticise the state government for not doing enough.

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Health Minister and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel refused to respond on these videos when reporters asked him during a press conference in Ahmedabad. He said that "I don't have time to see those videos. The concerned persons should take them to the administration concerned." Earlier, Patel announced that normal treatment has been stopped from SVP hospital and the 500 capacity facility will be turned into a Covid-19-designation hospital. He also said in the next four- five days, the capacity will be doubled. Similarly, beds are being increased in other hospitals as well. Later in the day the government claimed that over 12,000 beds have been arranged.

According to a health bulletin, the state recorded a total of 4,021 new Covid-19 cases, of which, Ahmedabad alone reported 951 cases, followed by Surat, 723, Rajkot 427, Vadodara 389. The state also reported 35 deaths that included 14 in Surat, eight in Ahmedabad, two each in Rajkot, and Vadodara, while Ahmedabad, Amreli, Bharuch, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Mehsana and Vadodara districts reported one death each. So far, 4,644 patients have passed away in the state since March last year when the pandemic broke out. The total active cases in the state stood at 20,473, out of which, 182 were on ventilator support.

Earlier this week, Gujarat High Court suggested the state government a limited lockdown in wake of rising cases. The government responded by extending the night curfew in 20 cities from 8 pm to 6 am.