On Thursday, the state tested over 68,000 samples in a 24-hour span. (Representational)

Adding over 1,100 cases on Thursday, the Covid-19 tally in Gujarat crossed 83,000. Besides, the health department also conducted a press briefing after more than 45 days in Gandhinagar.

Addressing mediapersons, principal secretary, health and family welfare, Jayanti Ravi shared the best practices adopted in the state and claimed that in a month, the state has managed to increase testing and reduce positivity in all its 33 districts and eight municipal corporation areas.

The health department, in an analysis, compared test per million versus test positivity during a week in July vis-a-vis a week in August.

As per this data, between July 12 and 19, six districts and corporation areas combined were seeing a low testing and high positivity rate. These included Rajkot Municipal Corporation, Jamnagar Municipal Corporation, Bharuch, Gandhinagar, Surendranagar and Rajkot.

Twenty other areas (districts and corporation areas combined) were testing low and seeing a low positivity. The health department now claims that all 41 areas are now seeing a high testing and low positivity.

On Thursday, the state tested over 68,000 samples in a 24-hour span.

Touting Ahmedabad as a ‘success story’ and Surat to be ‘marching towards a decline’, Ravi added that the doubling rate in the state currently stands at 47 days and cumulative doubling growth rate of cases is at less than 1.5 per cent. Among the areas that the state is focused on are Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot and Navsari. Ravi added that crucial to managing cases has been a seven-pronged approach of HOPES-IT or what stands for treatment with heparin, oxygen, prone positioning, eliminating exertion, steroids, and tocilizumab and Itolizumab.

Notably, while the state’s overall test positivity rate at present stands at 3.5 per cent, as per data provided by the health department, Dhanvanthri Raths or mobile OPD vans appear to have seen a higher incidence of test positivity rate, with 8,300 testing positive of the 1.25 lakh tested via Dhanvanthri Raths. This pegs the positivity rate at 6.6 per cent. 1,604 such vans have been deployed across various districts in the state.

Meanwhile, Dahod and Kutch, both of which reported over 30 cases on Thursday, crossed the 1,000-mark. Both districts at present have 300-odd patients currently undergoing treatment. Daily cases in Rajkot continues to hover at less than 100 cases, with the district tally at over 4,300 cases.