50% Affected Are Aged 25-50, ET HealthWorld

Ahmedabad: More than half of the total Covid-positive cases in Gujarat – over 700 identified so far – were recorded in the 25 to 50 years age group, or the ‘working age group’, state health department officials have said. About 10 per cent of the cases were among infants under one year of age, according to govt data. Officials also said that the number of senior citizens in recent cases is relatively very low.

Health experts pointed out that three patients who died of Covid – all from Ahmedabad – were women aged 18, 20 and 47 years. “No definite pattern is emerging yet, as cases are under control and the administration is keeping a close watch on the trends. Medical facilities are equipped to tackle any rise in cases. So far, hospitalisation rate is about 5%,” said a senior health department official.

According to Gujarat’s ministry of health and family welfare’s (MoHFW) dashboard, 47 new cases were recorded in the 24 hours ending at 8am on Thursday, taking the number of active cases to 508. In terms of active cases, Gujarat ranked fifth after 1,487 in Kerala, 562 in Delhi, 538 in West Bengal, and 526 in Maharashtra.

The dashboard indicated that the seven deaths recorded across India had comorbidities such as seizure, pneumonia, respiratory failure, heart and kidney disease, hypertension, septic shock, respiratory failure, and cancer, among others.

Experts in the city said that in the new cases, a large number of patients complain about myalgia (severe muscle pain), high-grade fever, and diarrhoea, with rare cases of loss of smell and taste. Dr Maharshi Desai, an internal medicine specialist, said there has been a steady flow of patients with flu-like symptoms in the past few weeks, and chances are high that some may have Covid.

“Not all patients undergo testing, as the treatment is primarily symptoms-based. However, those with existing medical and immune-compromised conditions should be tested,” he said.

“Flu-like symptoms are most common among patients. There is no need to panic or be concerned, as reporting is very low at the community level. After vaccinations and herd immunity, chances of widespread disease are low. Even cough and cold bouts often last for nearly a week,” said Dr Vijay Maurya, former president of Ahmedabad Family Physicians’ Association (AFPA).