PANAJI: For the second day in a row, Goa witnessed a massive increase in Covid-19 infections with 927 cases reported over the last 24-hours, the highest single-day hike since the beginning of the pandemic. While the tally of active cases rose to 6,320, the death toll shot to 869 with six casualties.
Over the last 48 hours, 1,684 people have tested positive in the state, and the case positivity rate is at 28%, the highest ever. In the last two days, the state had witnessed a rise in
Covid mortalities involving younger people.
Of the six deaths reported on Friday, three were below 50 and died within a week of being admitted to hospital.
Of the five deaths reported from
Goa Medical College, two — a 51-year-old man from Belagavi and an 80-year old male — died within a few hours of hospitalisation, the
mortality bulletin said. The 80-year-old man was detected positive six days ago. He was monitored under home isolation.
“He developed breathlessness and desaturation and passed away within two hours of being brought to GMC,” the bulletin read.
In another case, the patient was admitted as a medico-legal case into a surgical unit, but tested positive. The exact cause of his death will be known only after the post-mortem, the bulletin said.
Except for in one case, five who died did not have any major comorbidities. In the last 48-hours, eleven people have succumbed to the virus.
The spread of the virus has been relentless in urban areas with Margao leading with the highest caseload among all centres. On Friday, its tally touched 725. The centre has been reporting 70 to 80 new cases daily. The commercial town is slated to have municipal elections on April 23.
Other urban areas also reported an alarmingly high number of cases. Porvorim’s tally shot to 589 while that of Mapusa, Panaji, Candolim, and
Ponda each touched over 400 active cases.
The pace of infection picked speed in Vasco and on Friday its count was 370 while that of
Cortalim was 345. The intensity of infection was indicated by a more than marginal growth reported from smaller towns such as Bicholim, Sakhali, Pernem, Cansaulim, and Shiroda. Even a small village like Loutolim saw its numbers breaching the 100-mark.
With the state witnessing an unprecedented rise in cases, the smaller centers that until last month had either zero or few cases, are reporting cases though their numbers are still under control.
A senior government doctor said that while a lot of precious time has been wasted, at least now urban places witnessing an explosion of cases should have stricter measures to contain the further spread of the virus.
On Friday, Goa’s recovery rate remained dropped at 89% and the day saw 282 people cured, 100 hospitalised and 357 home isolated.