AHMEDABAD: With 324 new coronavirus cases reported during the last 24 hours, the count in Gujarat reached 9,592 on Thursday, while 20 more patients died of the infection, said officials During the same period, 20 patients succumbed to the infection, taking the toll to 586 in the state, said Principal Secretary, Health, Jayanti Ravi.
She said as many as 191 persons also recovered and given discharge from different hospitals in the state, taking the tally of such people to 3,753.
Ravi said the patient recovery rate in Gujarat has improved and now reached 38.43 per cent, which according to her, was a good sign tackling the health crisis.
Out of the total 324 new cases detected in the past 24 hours, 265 were from Ahmedabad district alone, she said.
Other districts where a significant number of new cases have been reported are Surat (16), Vadodara (13) and Mehsana (6).
Of the total 20 patients who succumbed to the infection during the last 24 hours, as many as 19 died in different hospitals in Ahmedabad and one in Surat, the official said.
Till now, Gujarat has conducted 1,24,709 tests, out of which 9,592 came positive, while 1,15,117 turned up negative.
Out of the total 9,592 cases registered in Gujarat so far, as many as 6,910 were reported in Ahmedabad district alone, followed by 983 in Surat and 605 in Vadodara.
A majority of the deaths were also reported in these three districts.
While 465 have died so far in Ahmedabad, 44 have died in Surat and 32 in Vadodara.
Refuting some media reports suggesting that lesser number of tests are being done to project a rosy picture about positive cases, Ravi said Gujarat's per million testing average is higher than many states and also above the national average.
"Its a misconception that we are conducting less number of tests. Gujarat has conducted 1,859 tests per million, much higher than national average of 1,343."
"In the test per million criterion, we are also better than Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Kerala," said Ravi in a video message.
Gujarat COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases 9592, new cases 324, deaths 586, discharged 3753, active cases 5253, people tested so far 1,24,709.
Meanwhile, more than 300 Shramik Special trains from Gujarat have ferried around 4 lakh migrant workers to their home states amid the lockdown so far, accounting for 40 per cent of transportation of such people in the country, said officials on Thursday.
With this, out of the total 10 lakh migrants sent back to their respective native places through Shramik Special trains across the country so far, as many as four lakh were from Gujarat alone, they said.
Till Wednesday night, 301 trains carrying around four lakh migrant workers and their family members had departed from different cities of Gujarat, said Secretary in the Chief Minister's Office, Ashwani Kumar.
"Around 10 lakh migrants were sent back to their native places by trains across India till Wednesday. Among these, four lakh were from Gujarat alone."
"We are also hopeful that migrant workers would come back to Gujarat soon to resume their work," said Kumar in a video message.
Out of 301 trains which had departed from Gujarat till date, as many as 204 trains were for Uttar Pradesh, followed by 34 trains for Bihar, 30 for Odisha, 20 for Madhya Pradesh, eight for Jharkhand, among other states, he said.
Shramik Special trains to transport migrant workers stranded due to the coronavirus-triggered lockdown were started following a nod from the Centre early this month.