<span style="color: #222222;">Director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi Dr Randeep Guleria has said that late hospitalization of COVID-19 patients due to fear of stigma and higher prevalence of comorbid conditions were key reasons behind the high number of COVID-19 deaths in Gujarat.<br />''<br />''He was speaking to media last evening after a day-long visit to Ahmedabad for reviewing COVID-19 facilities and treatment. He said that Gujarat is following standard protocols which are at par with those followed in AIIMS.  He said that people in Gujarat are reporting late in hospitals due to stigma or fear which adversely impacts their treatment outcome.<br />''<br />''Dr. Guleria said that COVID-19 patients should regularly consult doctors to ensure their oxygen levels are maintained. The AIIMS Director said that presence of co-morbidities was another factor behind higher casualties in the state. He said that Patients with diabetes, hypertension, heart and kidney ailments deteriorate faster.  It is advised that such patients be looked after aggressively in high dependency units.<br />''<br />''Dr Guleria with internal medicine specialist Dr. Manish Suneja was invited by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to visit state and recommend a course of action as the state reels under highest death rate of six per cent with 472 deaths. Meanwhile, Gujarat has recorded 23 more deaths during the last 24 hours.<br />''<br />''According to State Health Department, total number of COVID-19 cases has gone up to 7,797 with 394 more cases recorded in last 24 hours. Dr. Jayanti Ravi, Principal Secretary of Health & Family Welfare Department said that Gujarat will follow national guidelines for discharge of positive patients. She said that the new protocol would not need the two negative RT-PCR tests.</span><br />