Director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Dr Randeep Guleria on Saturday rushed to Gujarat to take stock of the situation amid a sharp spike in the number of Coronavirus cases and deaths.

Gujarat is currently the second worst hit state after Maharashtra with 7,402 cases and 449 fatalities. As many as 390 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours in the state. A total of 1,872 patients have recovered.

Dr Guleria reportedly took a special IAF flight to meet doctors at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital to give them advice on COVID-19 treatment.

The AIIMS chief also met the Gujarat Principal Secretary. He is also expected to call on Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.

Briefing media on his visit, Guleria said that Aastigma is still attached to COVID-19 adding that many people fear to come to hospital and get a test done. “An issue that this causes is that if a person is positive and there is delay in his admission to a hospital, then it increases mortality,” he explained.

The AIIMS-Delhi chief further said that elderly people or those with comorbidities are at higher risk of getting severe infection of COVID-19. “If you have elderly people at home, you need to be extra cautious. Get health checkup done immediately after observing mild symptoms,” he advised.

According to reports, Rupani has requested Home Minister Amit Shah to send three doctors – Dr Randeep Guleria, Dr Rajesh Chawla of Apollo Hospital in New Delhi and Mumbai-based pulmonologist Dr Rohit Pandit – to spend a day at the designated COVID hospital at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital campus, in a bid to provide better direction to treating doctors, patients and medical teams.

A total of 3,320 more people have tested positive for Coronavirus in the past 24 hours across the nation, taking the number of confirmed cases to 59,662 on Saturday. As many as 95 fatalities have been reported in the same period taking the death toll to 1,981.

All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) Director Randeep Guleria on Thursday had said that India may witness the peak of COVID-19 cases in June or July.

Speaking to mediapersons, Guleria said, “The answer of when will be the peak of cases of COVID-19 in India depends upon modeling data. National and international both experts are analysing the data. Most of them have guessed that India will most likely see the peak in June or July.”

Guleria said that earlier it was analysed that the peak will be in May but due to extended lockdown the peak has also been extended. “It is a dynamic process that depends upon various factors. It is a long lasting battle. Cases will come even after the peak is passed. People’s lifestyle in terms of travelling and socialising will change” he said.

The AIIMS Director also said that only with time the quantum of effect of the lockdown in the country will be known.