Kashi Vishwanath temple mandates COVID-19 test report
In the wake of a continuous surge in COVID-19 cases in Uttar Pradesh and across the country, the Kashi Vishwanath temple has mandated a COVID-19 negative test report for all devotees. Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday reported the highest-ever single-day spike of 18,021 coronavirus cases and 85 deaths, a senior official said. With this, the state's infection tally stands at 7,23,582 and the death toll at 9,309.
The state's previous biggest jump of 15,353 cases was recorded on April 11.
"In the past 24 hours, 18,021 fresh cases were reported while 3,474 people were discharged during this period. There are 95,980 active cases while 6,18,293 were treated and discharged. The state has reported a total of 9,309 deaths since the start of the pandemic," Additional Chief Secretary of Health Amit Mohan Prasad told reporters.
Lucknow reported the highest number of fresh cases at 5,382, while Allahabad reported 1,856, Varanasi 1,404, Kanpur 1,271, Gorakhpur 602, according to a health bulletin issued.
Lucknow reported 18 deaths, Kanpur 10, Allahabad eight and Gautam Buddh Nagar four, the bulletin stated.
Over 80 lakh people have been administered COVID-19 vaccine shots in the state.
So far, 3.71 crore samples have been tested, with 2.18 lakh being tested on Monday, the bulletin said.
Prasad said 12 new RT-PCR laboratories are being opened in the state to augment the testing capacity.
