Goa sees 740 new cases, 10 deaths in one day, toll now 286

PANAJI: The state’s active Covid-19 count rose to 5,323 on Saturday after 740 persons tested positive for the virus, the highest single-day spike since the pandemic began. The death toll, too, rose to 286 after 10 persons died, five of whose deaths were within 24 hours of admission.
The past five days have seen over 3,000 new cases, and health minister Vishwajit Rane recently said that the state may touch 1,000 cases a day shortly.
Areas that are witnessing a sharper spike are Sankhali, Bicholim, Pernem, Valpoi, Panaji, and Porvorim in North Goa, and Margao, Vasco and Ponda in South Goa.
The health centres in Sankhali and Porvorim have over 300 active cases each, while Ponda is inching towards the 400-mark. Cases reported from the commercial town of Margao range between 400 and 450. In Panaji, 20 new cases were detected, taking its total to 286.
Rane has repeatedly stated that the government is doing its best to contain the mortality rate, but it hasn’t achieved the desired result as the rise in infections has been unstoppable so far.
Goa Medical College (GMC) dean Dr S M Bandekar said they have deployed the ophthalmology and ENT wards for treating Covid-19 patients. “We have transferred patients to the new wards,” he said.
All ten of Saturday’s deaths — three women and seven men — aged between 28 and 85, died at GMC. The 28-year-old woman who suffered from Down Syndrome was admitted to GMC at 3.27am on Friday with respiratory failure, the bulletin stated.
A 42-year-old woman from Naroa, Tiswadi, who was taken to hospital on Saturday, was detected with Covid pneumonia, and died within an hour of hospitalisation.
Except one patient, all of Saturday’s deaths had comorbid conditions, and died within two-three days of hospitalisation. An 84-year-old man from Porvorim who did not have any co-morbidity died within an hour after he was rushed to hospital with respiratory failure.