8 deaths and 167 new cases; state tally crosses 1,000-mark

As many as 10,000 more kits are expected in the state, to be supplied by a private manufacturer in Palghar, Maharashtra. The health department also announced that it has put forth a proposal before the Centre to commence plasma therapy clinical trials at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, and is hoping to get a nod soon.

Sources in the government told this paper that the condition of Behrampura ward corporator from the Congress party Badruddin Shaikh, 67, who tested positive on Wednesday, was critical. His wife had also tested positive.

Mahisagar district reported its first case as a 42-year-old man with a travel history to Dubai tested positive. According to the district collector, the man was asymptomatic and home quarantined following his return. He had tested positive after the quarantine period, when his sample was taken as part of a random sampling conducted in his neighbourhood.

In Bhavnagar, a 60-year-old woman died hours after being hospitalised with COVID-19 symptoms. Her samples returned positive after her death. The woman had co-morbidity of hypertension and was a resident of Vadva periphery.

With eight more testing positive in Bharuch, taking the district total to 21, seven of the total cases are staff members of the civil hospital. After two nurses tested positive on Wednesday, five others tested positive Friday including three lab technicians collecting samples, one doctor and a female guard on duty in the isolation ward. Two men, one from Dayara village and another from Bharuch town too tested positive.

District Collector M D Modhiya said there was no shortage of PPE kits and the staff had been trained to handle COVID-19 cases. “The number of people from the hospital testing positive is a matter of concern for us. They were all wearing PPE. We don’t know if there was a lapse in handling the samples of patients or whether they have contracted the virus from outside the hospital away from duty hours. They were given training sessions to learn how to handle patients at this time. As far as the lab technicians are concerned, we feel they may have got infected while collecting samples.”

The two nurses had tested positive on Wednesday, about a week after they attended to four positive cases from Ikhar village.

Narmada district on Friday also reported two medical officers as COVID-19 cases taking the total cases here to 11. Both female medical officers are said to have been in a close contact with known positive cases. While the medical officer of Dediapada CHC checked a patient who later tested positive, the officer from Sisodra PHC tested positive a day after another health officer from the district tested positive.

Narmada district collector Manoj Kothari said, “One doctor tested positive yesterday and the Sisodra PHC officer was a contact of his. The other officer from Dediapada attended to someone who tested positive for coronavirus. We are ascertaining the source.”

Surat reported 53 new cases taking the total to 141. 46 new patients have been tested in Surat city, which includes two hawkers selling vegetables in Varachha area and 25 cases are only from Mandarwaja area in Surat. Seven other cases had been found from Mahuva and Olpad talukas of Surat district.
Botad too reported three more cases taking the district total to four and Chhota Udepur reported a positive case from Bodeli after the mother of a two-year-old girl, who had tested positive on April 8, too tested positive, taking district total to six.

Patan reported one more, taking the total to 15, and Banaskantha reported three more, including one from Gathaman village and the remaining two from Palanpur, taking the district total to nine.

Rajkot too reported two more cases with a 31-year-old man testing positive from Jungleshwar area, and another 28-year old man from a new locality taking the district tally to 30.

Anand reported two more cases, taking the tally to 26, with a 35-year-old resident from Khambhat and a 45-year-old from Umreth testing positive.

Ahmedabad reported 77 new cases taking the total to 622 with cases from Raikhad, Kalupur, Khamasa, Vatva, Chandkheda, Jamalpur, Vejalpur, Dariapur, Khanpur and Nikol, Dilli Chakla, Asarwa, Maninagar.

The son of Ahmedabad Civil Hospital superintendent was among the 45 to test positive. Four others died in Ahmedabad due to coronavirus.

A 55-year-old man with co-morbidity of hypertension and a 70-year-old woman with co-morbidities of diabetes and hypertension died at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital. Two men, both aged 69 years, died at SVP Hospital. While one had existing heart conditions, the other had no reported co-morbidities.

Kheda reported its third case with a 58-year-old man from Nadiad city in Kheda district working at Vikas dairy testing positive. His wife, who works as a domestic help, had tested positive earlier. The two earlier cases although tested positive in Ahmedabad and Khambhat in Anand, the two were native of Kheda.
Vadodara reported 11 new cases, including one who succumbed to the disease, taking the case total to 145 and death toll to seven. A 31-year-old man from Madanzampa area, who was admitted in critical condition on Thursday, passed away in GMERS. His test report, which came after his death, confirmed him to be COVID-19 positive and had co-morbidities of hypertension, diabetes and morbid obesity. Four others tested positive of which three are from the city and one from rural area. The three includes a 19-year-old female from Waghodia and a 33-year-old male from Por.

A 60-year-old man became the seventh casualty in the district after he tested positive on Thursday. He had known co-morbid condition of hypertension and had developed pneumonia recently.
Panchmahals reported the death of a 58-year-old man who was diagnosed with typhoid and pneumonitis prior to testing positive on April 13.

In Bhavnagar, a 60-year old woman with comorbidity of hypertension died, whose sample was found COVID-19 positive following her death. Another 25-year-old man too tested positive, taking the Bhavnagar district tally to 28.

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