AHMEDABAD: To cope up with the rising number of coronavirus cases in Gujarat, the state government on Monday announced to open eight new COVID-19 care centres, each having 500 beds, in eight major cities.
A decision to this effect was taken during a high- level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and also attended by Deputy CM Nitin Patel at Gandhinagar, said an official release.
These eight care centres to accommodate coronavirus patients will be put under the direct supervision of specially designated IAS or IFS officers, said the release.
Private nursing homes and clinics with no ICU or ventilator facilities can also start dedicated health centres and care units for COVID-19 patients in their premises, it said.
To ensure uninterrupted supply of medical oxygen for critical COVID-19 patients, the state government has asked oxygen manufacturers in the state to keep 60 per cent of their stock reserved for hospitals and allowed them to sell the rest to industries, the release said.
In the coming days, people can buy Remdesivir injection, a crucial drug in COVID-19 treatment, from medical stores attached to the four government hospitals of Ahmedabad, including Sola Civil Hospital and SVP Hospital, it said.
The state government will supply these injections on "no profit no loss" basis, said the release.
In another decision, the government announced that triple-layered face masks will be made available at all APMCs and Amul parlours at just Re 1 per piece in the coming days.
The daily addition of COVID-19 cases in Gujarat breached the 3000-mark for the first time as 3,160 people were detected with the infection in the last 24 hours, taking the state's tally to 3,21,598, an official said on Monday.
The death toll increased by 15 to touch 4,581, while 2,028 people getting discharged from hospitals took the recovery count to 3,00,765, which is 93.52 per cent of the caseload, he added.
The number of active cases in the state is 16,252, which is a rise of over 1,000 cases in a single day, the official pointed out.
"Ahmedabad led with 773 new cases, followed by 603 in Surat, 283 in Rajkot, 216 in Vadodara etc. During the day, seven patients died in Surat, six in Ahmedabad, and one each in Bhavnagar and Vadodara," he said.
A state government release said 67.62 lakh persons had been administered the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 8.10 lakh had got the second dose.
In neighbouring Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, 27 cases were reported in the last 24 hours, taking the caseload to 3,743.
With the recovery count rising by 21 to touch 3,534, and the deaths remaining at two so far, the active caseload in the Union territory was 207.
Gujarat COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases 3,21,598 new cases 3,160, deaths 4,581 discharged 3,00,765, active cases 16,252 and people tested so far - figures not released.