Ahead of preparation for 10th Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2022 (VGGS), which is slated to be inaugurated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 10, the novel coronavirus cases in Gujarat continue to surge rapidly with the state registering on Wednesday a record 548 cases in 24 hours.
Gujarat also reported 19 new cases of Omicron variant, taking the total cases to 97, out of which 41 have been discharged, the state health department's news bulletin stated. The spread of the virus has already reached more than 22 districts and cities. Ahmedabad is the worst-affected city with a record 265 cases, followed by Surat with 72 cases, Vadodara with 34, and Anand with 23 cases.
On December 27, the state had reported 204 positive cases while the number of active cases was 1,086. The numbers jumped to 548 and 1902 on Wednesday respectively. Health officials said that the doubling rate of new cases has been rising for nearly a week. However, they said that "the number of people getting hospitalised is very low."
Government sources said that meetings are on with regard to organising the VGGS. "If the trend (rise in Covid-19 cases) continues, the government may opt for a hybrid model that means reducing the number of participants and holding functions online. But, these are at discussion level. Besides, the government is going to bring back restrictions for commercial and social activities in view of the looming crisis," a government official in the know of these meetings said.
Meanwhile, opposition Congress has demanded cancellation of VGGS, stating that there is no need to conduct such a show when cases of Covid-19 are increasing. The party said that if the event is not canceled, it would become a super-spreader. The state government has been preparing for this event for several months now, campaigning in other states and abroad to attract investors.
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