jaipur

Updated: Apr 24, 2020 19:59 IST

Rajasthan reported 44 new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) positive cases till 2 pm on Friday, as the desert state’s overall tally rose to 2,008 cases.

There were reports of four fresh Covid-19 related deaths in Jaipur, taking the total fatality count in the state to 31.

Rohit Kumar Singh, additional chief secretary, health, Rajasthan government, said a 79-year-old man from Jamwa Ramgarh in Jaipur district died on Wednesday. He was admitted to Jaipur’s Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital on April 13 for emergency surgery. His first swab sample tested Covid-19 negative, but a second sample that was taken on Thursday, a day after his death, tested positive.

On Thursday, a 60-year-old man from Ramganj, who was suffering from coronary artery disease, also died. He was admitted to SMS Hospital on April 22, and tested Covid-19 positive the following day.

Another 60-year-old man from Jaipur’s MD Road area was brought dead to SMS Hospital on April 22. He tested Covid-19 positive after his death on Thursday.

One more death was reported from Jaipur’s Adarsh Nagar neighbourhood. A 70-year-old woman, who was admitted to SMS Hospital on April 18, tested Covid-19 positive on April 21 and died on Friday morning. She was also suffering from coronary artery disease, said Singh.

Of the 44 new Covid-19 positive cases, 21 were reported from Jaipur, 18 from Kota, four from Jhalawar, and one from Bharatpur.

Rajasthan has lower number of infected persons

Singh said that the data showed that the number of Covid-19 positive cases in the state is lower than the national average. He illustrated that if 100 people from the state have undergone Covid-19 tests, then 2.85 have tested positive against the national average of 4.4.

Delhi has the highest number of Covid-19 positive cases per 100 people at 7.94, followed by Maharashtra (6.86), Telangana (6.3), Gujarat (6.1), West Bengal (6.01), Madhya Pradesh (5.11), Chandigarh (5.1), Jammu & Kashmir (4.05), Punjab (3.52), and UP (3.43).

The states that are lower than Rajasthan are Tamil Nadu (2.7), Kerala (2.1), Andhra Pradesh (1.96), Haryana (1.7) and Karnataka (1.45).

Mortality rate low, state increasing testing capacity

State health minister Raghu Sharma said the rate of the viral infection has registered a drop even though over 2,000 Covid-19 positive cases have been reported to date. So far, 473 people have recovered and 193 have been discharged from hospitals, he added.

Rajasthan’s Covid-19 related mortality rate is 1.43, which ranks the state at 15th spot at the national level, the minister said.

He attributed the marginal rise in the number of Covid-19 positive cases to the pending results. “But, fewer number of Covid-19 positive cases are being reported,” Sharma added.

The minister said that the state is introducing aggressive testing. “We’re purchasing Cobos 8800 machines, which will increase the daily testing capacity of both Jaipur and Jodhpur to 3,000,” he said.

“Besides, Desert National Institute in Jodhpur will conduct 300 tests daily and RT-PCR machines have been sent to four other districts to increase their capacity,” he added.