Coronavirus daily updates: 19 deaths take UP toll to 649; tally at 21,549

Uttar Pradesh on Saturday reported 19 more coronavirus fatalities and 607 infections, as the state's virus count reached 21,549 and death toll rose to 649

Uttar Pradesh on Saturday reported 19 more coronavirus fatalities and 607 infections, as the state's virus count reached 21,549 while the death toll rose to 649, officials said.

So far, as many as 14,215 COVID-19 patients have been discharged from hospitals after recovering from the disease, leaving 6,685 active cases in the state, as per the bulletin issued by the government.

The recovery percentage of the state is 65.96 per cent of the total cases, Additional Chief Secretary, Medical and Health, Amit Mohan Prasad said. He said the state touched a new benchmark on Friday by testing 20,028 samples in a day.

Prasad said almost 47 per cent of the total cases reported on Friday were from the Meerut region and a separate work plan is being prepared to break the chain of infection there.

"A campaign on the lines of pulse polio campaign will be launched in the state between July 5 and 10 for breaking the chain of the infection. In the Meerut division, this campaign will start earlier in the first week of July," he said.

Under this, door-to-door surveillance and screening would be undertaken in the rural and urban areas, Prasad said.

He said the rapid antigen testing has also been started in the state and on Friday it was carried out in 10 districts -- six of them in Meerut division, Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Prayagraj and Varanasi. The official said the testing began in Kanpur on Saturday.

He said a unique initiative is being taken in the state for crowdsourcing of ideas by encouraging people to make one-minute video on the coronavirus, precautions and what more needed to be done to check the spread of the disease and 100 best videos will be given a prize of Rs 10,000 each.

Besides, 10 best ideas in 150 words will also be given a prize of Rs 10,000 each, Prasad said, adding this will help get fresh ideas and involve people to slow the spread of the infection.