77 fresh COVID-19 cases in Uttar Pradesh, total climbs to 2,211

Uttar Pradesh reported 77 fresh coronavirus cases on Thursday, taking the total number of COVID-19 cases in the state to 2,211, a senior official said.

With one fresh death in Amroha, the state has reported 40 deaths due to the virus so far, with one each in Bareilly, Basti, Bulandshahar, Lucknow, Varanasi, Aligarh, Mathura and Shravasti, five in Meerut, six in Moradabad, two in Firozabad, 14 in Agra and four in Kanpur.

"With 77 fresh cases, total number of cases reported in the state is 2,211 of which 551 have been treated and discharged. Forty deaths have been reported so far in the state due to the virus. The number of active cases are 1,620," an official release of the health department said here.

It said of the total cases, 1,113 are linked to those who attended a Tabhligi Jamaat event and their contacts.

The Jamaat had held a religious congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin in March and several of those who attended it and travelled to other parts of the country tested positive for the virus.

These 2,211 cases were reported from 60 districts of which there is no active cases in six districts presently, the department said.

Earlier, Additional Chief Secretary, Information Awanish Awasthi said central institutions like Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Indian Institute for Toxicology Research (IITR) and Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP) have been given permission for testing.