Gujarat COVID-19 count inches closer to 9,000; death toll 537

Gujarat on Tuesday reported 362 new COVID-19 cases and 24 deaths, including 21 in worst- hit Ahmedabad, taking the total case count to 8,904 and the fatalities to 537, a Health department official said.

With 466 more people being discharged from hospitals, their overall number rose to 3,246 across the state, which is a steep rise, said Principal Secretary (Health) Jayanti Ravi.

The discharged patients included 15-month-old twins from Ahmedabad who were on ventilators, she said.

"Of the 24 deaths, 21 deaths were reported from Ahmedabad and one each from Rajkot, Surat and Vadodara," Ravi said.

With 267 new cases, Ahmedabad district's overall tally mounted to 6,353 and the number of fatalities to 421, the official said, adding that 392 of the 466 patients discharged on Tuesday were from Ahmedabad.

Among the 17 districts that reported new cases were Vadodara (27) and Surat (30).

"The discharge rate now stand at 36.5 per cent, which has seen a steep increase. The revised dischargeguideline has been framed based on a research conducted abroad which says that coronavirus shows no growth after seven days," she said.

Ravi said the state has so far tested 1,19,537 samples, including 3,066 in the last 24 hours.

Gujarat COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases 8,904, new cases 362, deaths 537, discharged patients 3,246, active cases 5,121 and people tested so far 1,19,537.