Uttar Pradesh records 15,747 new coronavirus cases, 312 fatalities

Uttar Pradesh on Friday recorded 15,747 fresh COVID-19 cases that took the infection count to 15,96,628, while 312 more fatalities pushed the death toll to 16,958, officials said.

In the past 13 days, the number of active cases in the state has come down by over 1.17 lakh. On April 30, there were about 3.10 lakh active cases and the number currently stands at 1,93,815, said Additional Chief Secretary, Health, Amit Mohan Prasad.

As many as 1,57,257 patients are in home isolation, he said.

While the state reported 15,747 fresh cases the previous day, 26,174 COVID-19 patients recovered from the disease. So far, 13,85,855 patients have recovered in Uttar Pradesh and the recovery rate stands at 86.8 per cent, Prasad said.

Among the fresh deaths, a maximum of 21 were reported from the state capital Lucknow, 20 from Kanpur, 16 from Bahraich, 15 from Meerut, 14 from Chandauli, 13 from Jhansi, 12 from Varanasi, 10 each from Gautam Buddh Nagar, Hardoi and Mathura, a health bulletin issued here said.

Among the fresh cases, 1,464 were reported from Meerut, 900 from Lucknow, 718 from Gautam Buddh Nagar, 587 from Varanasi, 567 from Gorakhpur, it said. So far, over 4.41 crore samples have been tested for COVID-19 in the state, including more than 2.63 lakh tested on Wednesday, he said.

The officer said a total of 1.44 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in the state. This includes 1.13 crore people who have been given the first dose.

Currently, vaccination of people aged above 18 is going on in 18 districts. From May 17, it will be expanded to 23 districts, Prasad said.