Published on June 5, 2021
AHMEDABAD: As Gujarat’s journey on the downward slope of Covid-19 curve continues, the analysis of 15 states with highest active cases reveal that Gujarat was among only four states that recorded dip in monthly cases during the deadly second wave. While Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh each recorded a drop of 36% from April to May, Uttar Pradesh came third with 31% and Gujarat fourth with 17%.
Gujarat had recorded 2.73 lakh Covid cases in April – the highest ever monthly cases in the pandemic with an average daily 9,131 positive patients recorded. In comparison, May started showing the signs of slowdown with 2.27 lakh cases at the average of 7,340 daily cases. On April 30, Gujarat had recorded its highest daily tally of 14,605.
Likewise, the state also recorded a major drop in its active cases – the number rose eleven-fold from 12,996 on April 1 to 1.45 lakh on May 1.
In a month’s time, the number dropped by 88% at 29,015 on June 1. As of June 4 evening, the state had 22,110 active cases, the lowest in 56 days.
“Out of 15 states with the highest active cases, ten have shown a downward trend whereas five are still showing an upward trend. Gujarat is 15th among Indian states when it comes to active cases. If one looks at the graph of the second wave, it rose and fell with almost equal sharpness. Only a few other states have shown the similar trend,” said a city-based epidemiologist.
In terms of deaths, the month of April had recorded 2,664 deaths of Covid positive patients. In comparison, May recorded only a slight drop at 2,650 – increasing the mortality rate from 1% to 1.2%.
Experts pointed out that the second wave has major learning for the state. They pointed out that the share of areas outside of major cities got one of the highest in both cases and deaths. “The rural areas hold the key in deciding the scope of the third wave – there must be aggressive testing and vaccination in rural areas to ensure that the cases are found early,” said a public health expert.
Parth Shastri Archive 