Timely Treatment May Reduce Covid-19 Deaths in Ahmedabad, Says City's Civic Body

A day after 19 people died of COVID-19 in Gujarat's Ahmedabad city, the civic body here on Wednesday said it was important for patients to get admitted to hospitals as soon as they experience symptoms.

With 2,543 coronavirus cases and 128 deaths, Ahmedabad has six wards in the red zone and 42 in orange zone.

"It is unfortunate that the city reported 19 deaths in a day. If a person experiences any symptoms of COVID-19, he or she should immediately rush to a civic hospital. It is important to seek timely treatment, if lives are to be saved," municipal commissioner Vijay Nehra said on Wednesday.

The senior civic official had earlier said the high COVID-19 mortality rate in Ahmedabad was due to late admission of patients at hospitals.

At five per cent, Ahmedabad's COVID-19 mortality rate is higher than the country's, which is three per cent.

Of 181 coronavirus deaths in Gujarat, Ahmedabad alone has recorded 70 per cent, while of 3,774 cases in the state, the city accounts for 67 per cent.

Meanwhile, in a bid to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the city, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation will cancel licences of shops whose owners and employees are found without masks from May 1.

Fines ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 will be imposed on owners or employees of establishments who are found without masks, while employees of super markets who flout the rule will be fined Rs 50,000, Nehra said.

Licences of vendors and shops will be suspended for three months if they continue to violate the rule, he said.

Nehra termed vegetable vendors, shop owners, employees of petrol pumps and medical stores as "super spreaders", as they come in contact with several people and can infect thousands if they have COVID-19.

"We have identified 7,793 people who fall in the category of super spreaders in 48 wards of the city. We have tested 2,098 persons, of which 115 have contracted the deadly infection," he said, adding that the drive to identify super spreaders will continue.

The civic body will distribute masks and sanitisers to vendors and shop owners who supply essential items, he said.