LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh government has procured 50,000 antigen testing kits to strengthen the battle against novel coronavirus pandemic.
Stating that the kits will be used to screen hidden coronavirus positive cases in critical districts, including the ones in
Meerut division, additional chief secretary, health and family welfare, Amit Mohan Prasad said that as many as 585 new cases were reported in 24 hours.
With this, the total number of novel coronavirus positive cases in UP crossed the 24,000 mark. “A total of 585 new Covid-19 cases were reported in 24 hours, while 545 patients were discharged. Of the total cases, 16,629 patients have recovered, leaving the number of active cases to 6,709,” he said.
Stating that cases in the Meerut division were a cause of concern, he said that aggressive testing has been planned. “The state has made arrangements for 50,000 rapid antigen test kits which will be used in critical areas, including districts of the Meerut division which are a cause of concern,” he said.
Of the new cases reported, 170 were from districts in the Meerut division, including Gautam Budh Nagar (58), Ghaziabad (52), Meerut (42), Bulandshahr (17), Baghpat (9) and Hapur (8). Prasad stated that UP Chief Minister
Yogi Adityanath has directed the state health and medical education department to set up a dedicated lab for Ghaziabad district.
Meanwhile, the state recorded 21 Covid deaths, taking the total to 718. According to Covid bulletin, Meerut and Moradabad recorded three deaths each, while Agra and Lucknow recorded two each.
Kanpur Nagar,Ghaziabad, Barabanki, Bulandshahr, Prayagraj, Muzaffarnagar, Kaushambi, Ballia, Jalaun, Jhansi and Chandauli reported one death each.
Districts with over 10 cases were: Lucknow (54), Moradabad (25), Kanpur (23), Aligarh (19), Bulandshahr (17), Varanasi (16), Bareilly (15), Mathura (15), Gorakhpur (13), Ayodhya (13), Prayagraj (12), Unnao (12),Ballia (10) and Mau (10)