Covid-19 cases surge in Gujarat: ‘Three with no travel history had UK variant’

As Covid cases continued to surge rapidly with Gujarat reporting 11,403 cases and 117 deaths on Monday, and the administration and medical experts attributing the surge to new variants, evidence to support it remains sparse.

4 min readAhmedabad, VadodaraUpdated: Apr 20, 2021 09:15 AM IST

On the other hand, 93 per cent of the beds at Ahmedabad Medicity campus were occupied, including 1,168 patients occupying the 1,200-bed Covid unit of Ahmedabad Civil Hospital. (Express Photo by Nirmal Harindran)

Of the five samples that were sent from Gujarat to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in March, three tested positive for the UK variant mutation of Covid-19. However, the three “had no travel history or history of contact (with a known UK variant Covid 19 positive patient)”, according to Dr Dipa Kinariwala, microbiologist at the BJ Medical College affiliated to the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital.

As Covid cases continued to surge rapidly with Gujarat reporting 11,403 cases and 117 deaths on Monday, and the administration and medical experts attributing the surge to new variants, evidence to support it remains sparse. Genome sequencing result of samples sent to NIV on April 1 is still awaited.

At BJ Medical College where one of the city’s key viral research and diagnostics laboratory (VRDL) is situated, around 1,700 samples are being tested, of which nearly 130-odd samples turn out to be positive. Of these, 600 were of the hospital’s in-patients.

In April, 16 more samples from BJMC’s lab were sent to NIV Pune for genome sequencing, including samples of two doctors of Civil Hospital who tested positive after completing two doses of Covid-19 vaccine and despite reporting more than sufficient levels of antibodies. The results are awaited. “We will send more samples this week… NIV Pune is sequencing a lot of samples from several states hence the wait,” Dr Kinariwala said.

Read | No lockdown in Gujarat, hints Deputy CM Nitin Patel

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in a communication on March 20 to all states, had noted that genome sequencing of five per cent of positive samples from the community is “must” for “evidence-based action at the field level. Dr Kinariwala explained that quality and quantity of sample matters too. “A sample with high viral load is preferred for sequencing.”

While most hospitals in Ahmedabad city continued to run at full capacity, LG Hospital in Maninagar, only 50 per cent of Covid beds were occupied as of Monday morning. As per assistant resident medical officer (ARMO) Dr Gopal Desai, of the 300 beds, including 30 ventilator-equipped ones, provisioned for Covid-19 treatment, about 150 beds were occupied.

On the other hand, 93 per cent of the beds at Ahmedabad Medicity campus were occupied, including 1,168 patients occupying the 1,200-bed Covid unit of Ahmedabad Civil Hospital. Of the total patients at the Ahmedabad Medicity campus, nearly 80 per cent (1,943) of them are either on oxygen support or ventilator.

Ahmedabad city on Monday reported 4,207 new cases and 23 deaths.

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In Vadodara city, where 426 cases and eight deaths were reported, a 22-year-old pregnant woman from the Makarpura area who collapsed on Saturday and was declared dead at a private hospital, tested positive for Covid-19, officials of the Makarpura police station confirmed.
The woman, who was in her second trimester, was taken to SSG Hospital, where doctors pronounced her dead. Makarpura police on Monday confirmed that the woman tested positive for Covid-19.

Among those who tested positive on Monday was BJP candidate Nimisha Suthar, who contested the Morva Hadaf assembly by-election on April 17.

In Santrampur sub-jail in Mahisagar district, 23 undertrials have tested positive for Covid19. Three inmates tested positive on Saturday, following which samples of all 76 inmates were tested. The infected inmates have been moved to the Santrampur health centre. The jail, which has a capacity of 60 inmates has 76 inmates at present, thus making social distancing and adherence to Covid-19 protocols difficult, officials said.

An armed police constable attached to Wadi police station in Vadodara, Ashwin Patel, who died Monday while undergoing treatment for a liver ailment at a private hospital, tested positive for Covid-19. His pregnant wife has also tested positive Covid-19.

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BJP MLA from Udhna, in Surat Vivek Patel, who was involved in the party’s distribution of Remdesivir, also tested positive and is under home quarantine.

Sohini Ghosh

Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court Professional Profile Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express. Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare). Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others. She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020. With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles: High-Profile Case Coverage She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots. She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy. Signature Style Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system. X (Twitter): @thanda_ghosh ... Read More

Aditi Raja

Aditi Raja is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, stationed in Vadodara, Gujarat, with over 20 years in the field. She has been reporting from the region of Central Gujarat and Narmada district for this newspaper since 2013, which establishes her as a highly Authoritative and Trustworthy source on regional politics, administration, and critical socio-economic and environmental issues. Expertise: Core Authority & Specialization: Her reporting is characterized by a comprehensive grasp of the complex factors shaping Central Gujarat, which comprises a vast tribal population, including: Politics and Administration: In-depth analysis of dynamics within factions of political parties and how it affects the affairs in the region, visits of national leaders making prominent statements, and government policy decisions impacting the population on ground. Crucial Regional Projects: She consistently reports on the socio-economic and political impact of infrastructure projects in the region, especially the Statue of Unity, the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada River, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail bullet train project as well as the National Highway infrastructure. Social Justice and Human Rights: Her reporting offers deep coverage of sensitive human-interest topics, including gender, crime, and tribal issues. Her reports cover legal proceedings from various district courts as well as the Gujarat High Court (e.g., the Bilkis Bano case remission, POCSO court orders, Public Interest Litigations), the plight of tribal communities, and broader social conflicts (e.g., Kheda flogging case). Local Impact & Disaster Reporting: Excels in documenting the immediate impact of events on communities, such as the political and civic fallout of the Vadodara floods, the subsequent public anger, and the long-delayed river redevelopment projects, Harni Boat Tragedy, Air India crash, bringing out a blend of stories from the investigations as well as human emotions. Special Interest Beat: She tracks incidents concerning Non-Resident Gujaratis (NRIs) including crime and legal battles abroad, issues of illegal immigration and deportations, as well as social events connecting the local Gujarati experience to the global diaspora. ... Read More

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