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The third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic was different from the first two waves as most people were vaccinated, a large number of those who tested positive was asymptomatic and hospitalisation number was fewer, though the infection spread faster and the availability of self-testing kits obscured data about the actual number of infections.
Gujarat reported its first Omicron variant case on December 4 in a 72-year-old non-resident Indian (NRI) man who landed in Jamnagar city from Zimbabwe on November 28. In the surge that began after Christmas, cases went up to 24,485 on January 20 (from 1,069 on January 1), which the state health department considers the “peak” of the third wave. State health minister Rushikesh Patel also said that almost 80 per cent of these cases were assumed to be of the Omicron variant.
The state government that was preparing to host the flagship investment event — Vibrant Gujarat Summit — on January 10, had to postpone it just four days before the date, and cancel all related events on account of the surge in cases. Subsequently, the government extended the night curfew to 27 cities and towns from the eight cities where it was in place for over a year, increasing the duration by two hours. Curbs on weddings, social and political gatherings and offline schooling were enforced again.
By the end of January, though the number of positive cases started declining, 355 persons died of Covid-19 that month, while only 2-3 per cent of the active patients needed hospitalisation compared to 30-40 per cent hospitalisation during the second wave.
