With 580 new patients testing positive, Covid-19 cases in Gujarat crossed the 30,000 mark on Friday, June 26, taking the total number of cases to 30,158. While cases in Ahmedabad breached 20,000 after it recorded 219 fresh cases, Surat recorded its highest single day hike with 182 cases, taking the total number of cases to 4,058. The state recorded 18 new deaths on Friday with its mortality rate coming marginally from over 6 percent to 5.88 percent.

The Indian Express reported that in a span of a month, since May 27, Gujarat added more cases (15,350) than it did in two months from March 19 to May 26, 2020. Eight Covid-19 patients succumbed to the infection, the lowest since April 27. For the fourth consecutive day, Ahmedabad recorded lower than 300 cases and currently has 3,399 active cases undergoing treatment. New cases from Ahmedabad rural jurisdiction have seen a drop with currently 15 new cases being reported from there as opposed to 25 to 30 cases earlier.

While Ahmedabad’s case fatality rate is around 6.9 percent, Surat’s stands at 3.54 percent. Aravalli, where two others succumbed, taking the toll to 17, has seen a fatality rate as high as nine per cent, even as the district has reported about 190 cases till now. Bharuch, where two Covid-19 positive patients died, saw a sudden spike with 16 more testing positive taking the district tally to nearly 200 cases now, IE reported.

To assess the situation of Covid-19 management in the state, CM Vijay Rupani held a meeting with a Central team led by Joint Secretary in the Health Ministry, Lav Agarwal, The New Indian Express reported. The team led by Lav Agarwal had visited micro-containment zones, a private hospital and the main control room of the ‘108’ ambulance service in Ahmedabad city. It also visited a specially created COVID-19 ward in the Cancer Hospital adjacent to the main civil hospital.

The state also capped testing prices at private labs to Rs. 3,000. The Health Department said that if a person visited a private lab to get tested, the cost would be Rs. 2,500 while if a person called a lab personnel for home testing the charges would be Rs. 3,000. Ahmedabad Mirror reported that Gujarat HC urged the State government to direct private hospitals to display charges fixed by the latter at the reception area itself.

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) also held a virtual meeting for the first time in three months but didn’t discuss matters on Covid-19, Mirror said. The AMC board passed a condolence resolution, paying tribute to members who had passed away in the past few weeks. There was an exchange of words between Opposition leader in AMC, Dinesh Sharma and Mayor Bijal Patel with regards to the meeting. Sharma alleged that the AMC failed to follow proper strategy to deal with the pandemic and that is why there was no discussion on the matter in the board meeting. However, Mayor Bijal Patel responded to this saying that the Opposition leader had been informed prior itself that the meeting would only pass a condolence resolution and development projects, reported Mirror.

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