AHMEDABAD: The number of coronavirus cases in Gujarat crossed the 15,000-mark and rose to 15,205 on Wednesday after 376 new infections were reported, while the toll increased to 938 with the death of 23 more patients, 19 of them in Ahmedabad, the state health department said.
Gujarat, one of the states worst hit by coronavirus, has seen significant improvement in the case doubling rate over the last two weeks, it said.
Ahmedabad alone reported 256 new coronavirus cases, Surat 34 and Vadodara 29, out of a total of 19 districts that reported new cases on Wednesday, it said.
Out of the 26 COVID-19 fatalities, 19 were reported from Ahmedabad, two from Surat and one each from Vadodara and Mahisagar, the health department said.
As many as 410 patients were discharged in the state, taking the number of recoveries to 7,547, it said.
Of these, 327 patients were discharged from Ahmedabad alone, while 30 were dischargedfrom Surat and 11 from Vadodara, it said.
With this, there are a total 6,720 active cases in the state, of which 98 are on ventilator, the department said.
The case doubling rate in the state increased to 24.84 days as compared to 16 days two weeks ago, it said.
As against this, the national case doubling rate is 13.97.
The number to cases in Ahmedabad has risen to 11,097, while in Surat and Vadodara, the tally stood at 1,421 and 914, respectively.
A majority of the deaths were also reported in these three districts.
While 764 patients have died so far in Ahmedabad, 65 have succumbed in Surat and 36 in Vadodara, the department said.
Gujarat COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases: 15,205, new cases: 376, deaths: 938, discharged: 7,547, active cases: 6,720; people tested so far: 1,93,863.
More than 1,900 residents of Gujarat stranded abroad due to worldwide travel curbs have been brought home so far in special flights started under the central government's 'Vande Bharat' mission.
Between May 12 and 27, as many as 1,958 natives of Gujarat, who were stranded overseas due to the coronavirus- induced lockdown, were brought back from 11 countries under the Vande Bharat mission, said a state government release on Wednesday.
On May 12, the first batch of 135 Gujaratis were brought back in a special flight from the UAE.
It was followed by flights from the US, Singapore, Canada and the Philippines, among other countries, it said.
In the second phase of the mega mission, another 1,869 people from Gujarat will be brought back between May 29 and June 9, the release said.
These stranded people will be brought back mainly from the UK, the USA and some Gulf countries, the release added.