Zero Covid-19 day for Gujarat after 1,028 days

Amid apprehensions about re-emergence of Covid in many parts of the world, Gujarat heaved a huge sigh of relief on Wednesday as not a single Covid case was reported anywhere in the state. 

This is the first time in 1,029 days - since the outbreak in March 2020 that the state registered zero Covid cases.

As on Wednesday, the state had 22 active cases, of which 12 were in Ahmedabad.

The active cases were also at their lowest since March 2022, said state health department officials. 

On Wednesday, 20,769 Covid tests were conducted, said officials. Dr Bharat Gadhvi, president of Ahmedabad Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association (AHNA), said that there has been only a trickle of patients for the past seven months. 

According to the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) data for Tuesday, Gujarat was among the states with low number of active cases. 

There were 2,342 active cases in India, of which 1,342 were in Kerala alone. Other states with triple digit cases included Karnataka (210) and Maharashtra (146).

Amid fear of the new sub-variant, genetic studies have indicated that XBB.1 was the most prevalent variant.

Public health experts said that the need of the hour is to keep an eye on genetic mutations and thorough screening of all passengers to ensure that the state and the country at large prevents another Covid wave.