
Gaurav Saigal
Gaurav Saigal is principal correspondent and has over 10 years of experience. Has reported from Varanasi and Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh with Hindustan Times. In Lucknow he covers health, medical education and also writes on transport. Has been reporting on outstation political and special assignments. Piror to HT has worked for agency and websites.
Articles by Gaurav Saigal

UP launches Covid vaccine drive for elderly: 22.5K to get jab today
By Gaurav Saigal
PUBLISHED ON MAR 01, 2021 09:08 AM IST
Apart from the government hospitals, approximately 1,544 private hospitals in the state will also facilitate inoculation from March 4, with some of them beginning today itself. The approximate population of 50-plus people in the state is 35 million

Health workers blame ‘confusing messages’ on missing Covid vaccine shot in UP
PUBLISHED ON JAN 26, 2021 12:15 PM IST
Health officials said medical conditions such as allergy or fever could be ignored but the SMSes were very clear.

Lucknow’s KGMU begins genome sequencing of new Covid-19 strain
PUBLISHED ON JAN 15, 2021 10:46 AM IST
Apart from KGMU, the genome sequencing study will also start at Bananas Hindu University, Central Drug Research Institute, and National Botanical Research Institute

31,700 health workers to be vaccinated across Uttar Pradesh on Saturday
By Pankaj Jaiswal, Rajesh Kumar Singh and Gaurav Saigal
PUBLISHED ON JAN 15, 2021 10:41 AM IST
The state has so far received over one million vaccine doses against 1.1 million sought for the first phase

Uttar Pradesh: Many UK returnees switch off their mobile phones
By Gaurav Saigal | Hindustan Times, Lucknow
UPDATED ON DEC 25, 2020 10:16 AM IST
If they do not contact the health department by Friday, it will seek the help of police to track them down for sampling and monitoring

Special fridges to store Covid-19 vaccine arrive in Lucknow
By Gaurav Saigal | Hindustan Times, Lucknow
UPDATED ON DEC 11, 2020 11:41 AM IST
The first round of vaccination will be for healthcare workers and their list is being prepared. The list has already crossed the 40,000-mark and should be final by next week

UP races against time to build 2,03,938L cold chain storage for Covid-19 vaccine
By Gaurav Saigal | Edited by Abhinav Sahay | Hindustan Times, Lucknow
UPDATED ON NOV 29, 2020 11:22 AM IST
Doctors, nurses, pharmacists, ward boys, lab technicians, cleaning staff and clerks working in hospitals are expected to be among the first to be vaccinated for Covid-19.

UP races to meet cold chain target for 1st phase of Covid-19 vaccine
By Gaurav Saigal | Edited by Sparshita Saxena | Hindustan Times, Lucknow
UPDATED ON NOV 28, 2020 10:36 PM IST
The first phase of Covid-19 vaccination is expected to immunise over four crore people in the state with the focus on frontline corona warriors, including health workers.

Covid-19: UP districts see surge in cases in fortnight
By Rajesh K Singh and Gaurav Saigal | Hindustan Times, Lucknow
PUBLISHED ON NOV 20, 2020 10:23 AM IST
Meerut leads the list with 126% rise in 15 days. Other districts that have shown a rise in daily cases in two weeks are Lucknow, Prayagraj, Kanpur, Gautam Buddha Nagar, and Ghaziabad

Covid patients in UP’s capital wait 2-4 hrs in ambulance before admission
By Gaurav Saigal | Edited by Abhinav Sahay | Hindustan Times, Lucknow
UPDATED ON SEP 19, 2020 10:45 AM IST
Hospitals say they are introducing measures to ensure Covid patients don’t have to wait for admission

‘Missed abortion’ cases in Lucknow as women avoided clinics due to Covid fear
By Gaurav Saigal | Hindustan Times, Lucknow
UPDATED ON SEP 02, 2020 01:29 AM IST
Family members said they avoided contacting doctors because they were apprehensive about the women being more vulnerable to infection during pregnancy.

Cured patients testing positive for Covid-19 again due to ‘harmless residual virus’
By Gaurav Saigal| Edited by Sabir Hussain | Hidustan Times, Lucknow
UPDATED ON AUG 28, 2020 12:26 PM IST
Most of these patients had gone for a test after completing treatment to check the virus load in their bodies.

Lucknow’s KGMU pins hopes on asymptomatic donors for Covid-19 plasma therapy
By Gaurav Saigal| Edited by Sabir Hussain | Hindustan Times, Lucknow
PUBLISHED ON AUG 25, 2020 10:06 AM IST
Although these donors have developed antibodies for the Sars-Cov-2 virus, they have never tested positive for the Covid-19 infection earlier nor were they hospitalised.

In Uttar Pradesh, doctors grapple with triple challenge in war against Covid-19
By Rajesh Kumar Singh and Gaurav Saigal | Hindustan Times, Lucknow
UPDATED ON AUG 21, 2020 02:05 PM IST
Vacancies in the Provincial Medical Services have increased the pressure on doctors during the fight against the pandemic, leading to a tussle between the government doctors and administrative officers

Three women part of coronavirus vaccine trial
By Gaurav Saigal | Hindustan Times, Lucknow
UPDATED ON AUG 06, 2020 12:49 PM IST
The women are 18, 22 and 24 years of age and are pursuing graduation and post graduation in Gorakhpur.

Two Uttar Pradesh hospitals set to begin human trials of India’s Covid-19 vaccine, Covaxin
By Haidar Naqvi and Gaurav Saigal| Edited by Meenakshi Ray | Hindustan Times, Kanpur/Lucknow
PUBLISHED ON JUL 19, 2020 03:57 PM IST
Prakhar Hospital in Kanpur is looking at a sample size of 50 people in the first phase and another 150 in the second phase of the human trial. The Rana Hospital, meanwhile, is awaiting a safety certificate before the trials can begin.

KGMU Lucknow’s trial is important to understand if BCG can prevent Covid-19
By Gaurav Saigal | Hindustan Times, Lucknow
UPDATED ON MAY 21, 2020 10:29 PM IST
KGMU is the only centre in Uttar Pradesh to conduct such a study.

Ayushman Bharat likely to cover Covid-19 in Uttar Pradesh
By Gaurav Saigal | Hindustan Times, Lucknow, Lucknow
PUBLISHED ON MAY 08, 2020 09:03 AM IST
The Ayushman Bharat health scheme could soon include Covid-19 in the list of ailments for which insurance cover is to be provided.

UP doctor celebrates son’s birthday over video
PUBLISHED ON APR 25, 2020 11:29 PM IST

KGMU e-cards come in handy for blood donors
By Gaurav Saigal | Hindustan Times, Lucknow, Lucknow
PUBLISHED ON APR 15, 2020 11:42 PM IST
The duly filled and signed e-cards are issued by the blood bank and transferred via WhatsApp to the donor.

It takes a hospital: How a 2-yr-old is getting better in Lucknow’s KGMU
By Gaurav Saigal | Hindustan Times, Lucknow
UPDATED ON APR 08, 2020 12:19 PM IST
The child is fourth in the family to test positive for Covid-19 after his mother and grandparents. The grandparents have been cured and are about to be discharged from the Base Hospital in Lucknow.

UP man offers to roll up his sleeve for human trial of Covid-19 vaccine
By Gaurav Saigal | Hindustan Times, Lucknow
UPDATED ON APR 06, 2020 10:55 PM IST
Harkeerat Singh, who worked for the National Health Mission in 2017-18 and is presently staying in his village in Prayagraj.

Search for community transmission begins, all samples negative
By Gaurav Saigal | Hindustan Times, Lucknow, Lucknow
PUBLISHED ON MAR 30, 2020 09:20 PM IST
Doctors started investigations at King George’s Medical University here to cross-check the possibility of community transmission of the coronavirus in Uttar Pradesh, but all the samples tested negative in this connection, officials said.

Kanika tests corona positive for third time
By Gaurav Saigal and Anupam Srivastava, Lucknow
PUBLISHED ON MAR 27, 2020 07:48 PM IST

In UP, village heads asked to report those with history of overseas travel
By Gaurav Saigal, Lucknow
UPDATED ON MAR 25, 2020 10:38 PM IST

Booster shot for healthcare: KGMU gets ₹9190 mn, RMLIMS ₹4,770 mn
PUBLISHED ON FEB 18, 2020 06:07 PM IST

Change in meal timings helps in better diabetes control
PUBLISHED ON DEC 09, 2019 10:01 PM IST

Soon, direct supply of medicines from UPMSCL warehouses to health centres
By Gaurav Saigal, Lucknow
PUBLISHED ON DEC 08, 2019 09:08 PM IST

30 burn units in UP awaiting appointment of staff
By Gaurav Saigal, Lucknow
PUBLISHED ON DEC 06, 2019 09:01 PM IST

Unnao woman’s condition serious, medical staff struggle to find her veins
By Gaurav Saigal | Hindustan Times, Lucknow
UPDATED ON DEC 05, 2019 10:39 PM IST
The burns were deep and doctors administered her (injectable) fluids via her legs as major part of her body, including chest and abdomen, had severe burn injuries.