112 fresh cases in UP, 173 patients discharged so far

Death toll stands at 21; ‘major chunk of positive cases comprise Tablighi Jamaat members’

The statewide tally of coronavirus positive patients went up to 1449 as 112 fresh cases were reported, according to figures put out by the health department here on Wednesday.

A major chunk of Covid positive cases in the state were reported from Tablighi Jamaat members, as well as from patients discharged from hospitals.

A total of 173 patients were sent home after full recovery so far. In all, 21 people died due to coronavirus in the state, principal secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Amit Mohan Prasad said.

The deaths included one each from Basti, Varanasi, Firozabad, Bulandshahr, Kanpur, Aligarh, and Lucknow, three at Meerut, five at Moradabad and six at Agra, according to health department figures. .

Prasad said a health department study showed that 19.51% Covid positive patients were in the age group of up to 20 years, which includes 15.48% boys and 4.03% girls. Similarly, 47.49 % people in the age group of 21 to 40 years were infected, where 37.03% were men and 10.46% were women. Besides, 24.66% positive patients are in the age group of 41 to 60 years, including 19.01% men and 5.65% women. Patients over the age of 60 years accounted for 8.3% cases. He said out of the total infected people, 78.80% were men and 21.20% women.

Prasad said a major chunk of Covid positive cases in the state were reported from Tablighi Jamaat members, as well as from patients discharged from hospitals.

POOL TESTING BEGINS IN ETAWAH, MEERUT TOO

After King George’s Medical University-Lucknow, pool testing of samples began in UP University of Medical Sciences, Etawah and Meerut Medical Colleges. Pool testing will be done in Agra and Prayagraj Medical Colleges soon, he said.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday directed officers to give a push to testing. Funds from Covid Care Fund were released for activating laboratories in Aligarh, Moradabad and Saharanpur. Laboratories will be established at all divisional headquarters and technical teams will be trained, he said.

The chief minister also directed that adequate measures be taken to protect medical teams from infection. All beds in isolation wards will be equipped with oxygen and ventilator will be installed on 10 beds.

ONLINE TRAINING FOR DOCS, PARAMEDICS LAUNCHED

The state health department has launched a training programme for doctors and paramedical staff on an online platform in order to resume emergency services in private hospitals.

Health teams in the government, as well as private hospitals, were directed to follow the Covid protocol strictly, principal secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Amit Mohan Prasad said at a press conference on Wednesday.

Besides training of doctors, nurses, paramedical staff, ward boys and sweepers posted in designated Covid hospitals, including 80 level 1 category, 78 hospitals in the level 2 category and six specialised hospitals of level 3, had been completed, he said.

Health teams in the government as well as the private hospitals were directed to follow the Covid protocol for the hospitals strictly.