Gujarat’s concern: Dang has zero Covid, or influenza-like case

On April 10, when the state had 14 districts unaffected by COVID-19, the state health department announced that a high-powered committee has decided to take at least 100 samples from zero-case districts to be doubly sure that these areas are indeed free of novel coronavirus infection.

Among the total 6,109 SARI cases notified across private and public health institutions in the state, samples of 5,070 of such cases were taken.

The good news is that Dang, which is Gujarat’s 100% tribal district, hasn’t reported a COVID-19 case yet. But the worrying news is that among the five districts that have not yet reported any COVID-19 cases, it is only in Dang where not a single case of influenza-like illness (ILI) or severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) was recorded in any of its public or private health institutions as of Tuesday, according to the state health department data.

On April 10, when the state had 14 districts unaffected by COVID-19, the state health department announced that a high-powered committee has decided to take at least 100 samples from zero-case districts to be doubly sure that these areas are indeed free of novel coronavirus infection. Among the total 6,109 SARI cases notified across private and public health institutions in the state, samples of 5,070 of such cases were taken. Of them, 405 or eight percent of the SARI cases tested, turned to be COVID-19 positive.

Dang district collector NK Damor said they have tested 119 samples till date with all returning negative.

“It is true that we have not come across any SARI or ILI cases. We have 10 Public Health Centres across the district and 56-sub-centres while among

Gujarat’s concern: Dang has zero Covid, or influenza-like case private facilities there are only some private practitioners and no IMA branch or super specialty hospital, he said.

“An advantage of our geography is that 75% of the district is reserved forest land and the tribal population reside in considerable distance, with no densely populated clusters,” Damor said.

“Our major disadvantage as a district is the fact that at least 60,000 to 70,000 move out to other districts for work… Around Holi there is a ‘mela’ when they come back. We knew that this may become a problem and at the time we had carried out surveillance by forming village-level committees of approximately seven members, including the sarpanch,” said Damor.

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As on April 21, while at least 83 per cent of the SARI cases notified were tested across Gujarat, of the more than 25,000 ILI cases notified across public and private health institutions, only about 15 percent of them were tested, according to health department data.

The other districts that have so far not reported any COVID-19 cases are Surendranagar, Junagadh, Devbhoomi Dwarka, Dang and Amreli.

In Devbhumi Dwarka, all the 116 people with ILI and 61 with SARI were tested and none were found carrying coronavirus. In Junagadh too, which reported 180 ILI and 64 SARI cases from rural and municipal corporation jurisdiction, 232 were tested. None were tested positive for coronavirus.

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

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