COVID-19 death toll rises to 25, cases climb to 1,621 in UP

The death toll due to coronavirus rose to 25 in Uttar Pradesh on Friday, with one fresh casualty and the number of cases climbed to 1,621 as 111 more people tested positive for the infection, according to official data. The latest casualty is a person from Meerut, a health department release here said.

Seven people have died of coronavirus in Agra, five in Moradabad, four in Meerut, three in Kanpur and one each in Aligarh, Basti, Varanasi, Bulandshahr, Lucknow and Firozabad, it said. A total of 226 coronavirus patients have recovered and been discharged from hospitals, it stated.

Principal Secretary, Health, Amit Mohan Prasad said 57 of the state's 75 districts have so far reported coronavirus cases. The fresh cases were reported from 16 districts of the state, including 29 from Kanpur, 25 from Saharanpur, 10 from Agra, nine each from Firozabad and Gautam Buddh Nagar, and seven each from Moradabad and Varanasi, among others, he said.

"The strategy of containment in the hotspot areas during the lockdown appears to be having a good impact and if it continues in this manner, it would help in checking the disease effectively," he added. Since the outpatient departments (OPD) in hospitals are not functioning these days, the facility of tele-consultancy is being provided to people. Private doctors have also been given permission to offer their services, Prasad said.

Phone numbers have been issued by government hospitals in all the districts. Advertisements are being put out in newspapers with doctors' names and phone numbers. People can get doctor's advice while sitting at home, he said. Prasad said pool testing is continuing in Lucknow's King George's Medical University (KGMU) and Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI), besides medical colleges in Saifai and Meerut.

He said the elderly with underlying health conditions should protect themselves against coronavirus. Among those who have died in the state, 21 either had underlying health conditions or were aged, he added.

People suffering from diabetes, hypertension, cancer or kidney ailments need to take extra care and must use face masks in public places, the officer said. Besides washing hands for 20 seconds, there is a need to maintain social distancing, Prasad said, adding that extra precautions must be taken in the hotspot areas.