With over 100 deaths since Sunday, Rajkot in Gujarat has emerged as an epicentre of COVID-19, which is surging menacingly in the State.
The situation in the Saurashtra region’s main town has become so alarming that traders and trade bodies have voluntarily shut down local markets for a week to halt the virus transmission chain as the pathogen has penetrated interiors and even in villages in the district.
According to local traders, the decision has been taken because cases are rising and hospital beds are not available easily in the city.
Not only local markets, even agriculture produce yards are also shut or open for a few hours. “The Gondal APMC is one of the largest yards in Saurashtra and it’s shut for several days,” a trader said.
“It is a very alarming situation in the city. For the last several days, more than two dozen deaths have been happening in the city and district. It’s very worrying situation here,” a prominent doctor from Rajkot told The Hindu.
On Tuesday, district Collector Remya Mohan tested positive and has got isolated.
The Rupani government had to rush a team of three doctors accompanied by a Cabinet Minister to attend on Abhay Bhardwaj, recently elected Rajya Sabha member, who has been put on ventilator support as his health deteriorated during treatment.
So far, as per the government data, around 115 people died in Rajkot city and district since the virus outbreak in March.
However, local doctors and officials estimate around 1,000 deaths and most of the deaths took place in the last three weeks.
Under-counting of deaths and daily cases have apparently become a norm as the administration has completely curtailed all avenues from where the information is provided.
“Hospitals have no beds and crematoriums have waiting period for several hours so one can gauge the seriousness of the situation in Rajkot,” a local political leader said requesting anonymity.
A few weeks back, alarmed by the rise in cases and fatality, the State administration had rushed Principal Secretary (Health and family welfare) Dr. Jayanti Ravi with a team of doctors from Ahmedabad to Rajkot to salvage the situation.
However, daily deaths remaining in double digits and cases surging north, efforts by the authorities are falling short in halting the transmission and containing mortality, which local sources contend, is worst than what was the case in Ahmedabad in April and May.
