COVID-19 cases rise to 172 in UP

There has been a steep rise in COVID-19 cases in Uttar Pradesh with at least 46 fresh cases being reported in the last 24 hours, taking to 172 the total number of coronavirus patients in the state as on Friday, a senior health official said.

The total number of COVID-19 positive cases in UP was reported to be 126 on Thursday night.

"Till Friday afternoon the total number of positive COVID-19 cases across the state are 172," a senior health official told PTI.

The sharp increase in the number of cases, officials said, was due to confirmation of coronavirus in the samples of over three dozen people across the state who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi.

"The exact breakup of the districts will be made available later," they said.

Earlier,the total number of positive cases in the state was 134 as on Friday morning with a total of eight fresh cases reported in Agra and Jaunpur.

While six cases were found to be positive in Agra, two positive cases were reported in Jaunpur, they said.

"Six more COVID-19 positive cases have found here. The total number of cases in the district are 18 now," Agra District Magistrate Prabhu Narain Singh said.

"Two more case have been found to be coronavirus positive in Jaunpur. Now the total positive cases in the district are three," Jaunpur District Magistrate Dinesh Kumar Singh said. The two fresh cases are of those who attended the Tablighi Jamat congregation in New Delhi, he said.

According to officials, the district-wise tally of 134 coronavirus cases as on Friday morning included - Gautambudh Nagar (48), Meerut (24), Agra (18), Lucknow (10), Ghaziabad (9), Bareilly (6), Bulandshahr and Jaunpur (3 each), Basti, Varanasi, and Pilibhit (2 each), Ghazipur, Hapur, Baghpat, Shamli, Moradabad, Kanpur, Lakhimpur Kheri (1 each).

Of these 134 cases, 17 have been fully cured and discharged while two have died -- one each in Meerut and Basti.

Principal Secretary (Medical and Health) Amit Mohan Prasad said, "The good thing is that there has been a decrease in the average rate of infection in the state". He said the Health Department has been maintaining an aggressive containment exercise in and around various districts from where positive cases have been reported and this has helped to some extent in containing the spread of the virus.