Uttar Pradesh witnessed the steepest decline in the number of fresh coronavirus positive cases with only 33 people testing positive across the state during the last 24 hours, making it the lowest daily case count since the second wave struck in March- April this year.
In a sharp contrast to other states significantly lesser in terms of population such as Kerala, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh has been successfully taming the raging disease. Where other states have been witnessing a greater surge of fresh COVID-19 cases (daily cases in the range of 17,000-2,000), the daily case count in UP has been below 50 for three consecutive days.
In another significant achievement, Uttar Pradesh, continuing the downward trend, dropped the daily Covid Test Positivity Rate (TPR) -- the number of positive cases against the total tests done – and it stood at 0.01 per cent, the lowest in the country. This rate was at its highest at 16.84 per cent on April 24 and now remains even lower than the lowest post-first wave of COVID-19.
With eleven districts -- Aligarh, Budaun, Basti, Bahraich, Etah, Fatehpur, Hamirpur, Hathras, Kasganj, Mahoba and Shravasti -- becoming free of the deadly coronavirus and reporting no cases, the state’s success story in combating COVID-19 has been strengthened further.
Emerging as a leader in conducting maximum Covid tests, Uttar Pradesh has tested as many as 6.42 crore samples for the coronavirus infection so far.
The number of active cases in the country’s most populous state has also reduced to just 857, which is now equal to the tally which the state had in April 2020. Active Covid cases have been brought down by over 99 per cent from its peak capped at 3.10 lakh on April 30, while the percentage of active cases as against the total confirmed cases is 0 01 points.
Besides, stepping up preventive measures in view of a probable third wave of COVID-19, the state has ramped up its oxygen production as 234 out of the 549 sanctioned plants have become functional. As part of its mission to achieve self-sufficiency in oxygen production in Uttar Pradesh, the state government is currently working on a war footing to get all plants functional by August 15.
“The state is now left with merely 857 active COVID-19 cases. The decline has been over 99 per cent since the peak, which recorded 3.10 lakh cases on April 30. We must continue with a better system of prevention and treatment to break the chain of coronavirus infection,” said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at a high-level Covid review meeting in Lucknow on Monday.
