UP has reported 68 COVID-19 cases, no community transmission so far: govt official

Uttar Pradesh has reported a total of 68 coronavirus cases so far with around half of them from Gautam Buddh Nagar district which includes Noida, officials said on Sunday.

Earlier in the day, the Gautam Buddh Nagar district administration said five new cases were reported taking the total cases to 31.

Speaking to reporters in Lucknow, Principal Secretary, Medical and Health, Amit Mohan Prasad said, "A total of 68 coronavirus positive cases have been reported so far from UP of which 14 patients have been discharged so far. The condition of the patients in the state is that they do not require intensive care or be kept on ventilators. Most of the cases are mild. The condition of the rest of the patients undergoing treatment is stable."
He said, "All the patients of UP can be traced back to a person who returned from abroad. The Noida example where in which people of a factory have been infected, their case could be traced back to United Kingdom. All the cases of the state could be traced back to a foreign country."
On expanding the ambit of medical testing and screening of people who are coming to the state from outside, Prasad said, "It is not that we are testing only those who have come back from a foreign country or contact of a positive case. As per ICMR protocol, anyone suffering from respiratory problems and is hospitalised should be tested. We are now taking samples as well and testing the samples. We will expand the ambit of testing. No case of community spread has emerged before us so far."
"We will also engage private hospitals in the treatment of COVID-19. We are making a package for them. A number of private hospitals have approached us to treat COVID-19 patients and make their hospitals as quarantine centres. They will also be converted as a dedicated COVID-19 hospital. The rest of the patients of the said private hospital will either be shifted or discharged."
Referring to the three-tier hospital system devised by the state government, Prasad said, "Every district will have a L-1 (level 1) hospital. This is already in place and located at the community health centres, which have been made dedicated COVID-19 hospital. In some districts, the number of such hospitals is more than one. L-3 (level 3) hospitals are 5 to 7 super speciality hospitals like the 200-bed SGPGI, KGMU, BRD Gorakhpur spread across the state. Critical cases will be attended to in these hospitals."