Centre should continue providing Covid test kits to UP: Adityanath to PM

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to continue the arrangement for providing RTPCR test kits and other COVID-related equipment for use in the state.

"At present reagent and kits for RTPCR tests are being provided by the Centre. This arrangment should continue in future as it is useful in COVID-19 treatment," Adityanath told the prime minister during a COVID-19 review video conference Tuesday afternoon, an official statment issued here said.

The chief minister also sought the Centre's support for purchasing HFNC equipment, used in giving high flow nasal oxygen to patients.

Adityanath also apprised Modi about the number of coronavirus cases in the state and the establishment of COVID help desks and integrated command and control centres in every district.

"Till now the state reported 1,31,763 cases of which 48,998 are active cases while 80,589 patients were treated and discharged. There are 20,818 patients in home isolation," the chief minister said and also briefed the PM about surveillance activities pertaining to the pandemic going on in the state, the statement said.

Adityanath said attempts were being made to use modern technology in order to reduce the death rate.

So far in August the death rate due to COVID-19 has been around 0.6 per cent in the state, where till now 33 lakh samples have been tested, according to UP government data.

"From the past 15 days, over one lakh people are being tested per day in the state for coronavirus," he said, adding that UP's contribution in total COVID testing in the country was 16.76 per cent.

He also informed the PM that economic activities have started and revenue realisation haspicked up in the state, the document said.