Uttar Pradesh: 11 more tested positive for coronavirus, taking total tally in state to 72

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Eleven more persons were tested positive for coronavirus in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, taking the total number of corona-infected patients in the state to 72, said officials. Four persons were tested positive in Noida alone, which, with its total number of 31 corona-positive cases till now, accounted for nearly half of the total number of infected people in the state, they said.

In a statement issued here, Joint Director-cum-State Surveillance Officer under the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), Dr Vikasendu Agrawal said, "As many as 11 new patients have been confirmed as positive for Novel coronavirus. This includes four in Noida, two in Ghaziabad, four in Meerut and one in Bareilly."

The total number of samples found positive in the state till now is 72, Dr Agarwal said, adding 31 of them are from Noida (Gautam Buddh Nagar).

The break-up of the total 72 cases in the state till now is Noida - 31, Agra - 10, Lucknow - 8, Ghaziabad - 7, Meerut - 5, two each in Varanasi and Pilibhit, and one each in Lakhimpur-Kheri, Moradabad, Kanpur, Jaunpur, Shamli, Baghpat and Bareilly.

As many as 14 patients have recovered and discharged till now in the state, including seven in Agra, two in Ghaziabad, four in Noida, and one in Lucknow, he said.

Speaking to reporters earlier in Lucknow, Principal Secretary (Medical and Health) Amit Mohan Prasad had 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 patients in the state is such that they do not require intensive care or need to be put on ventilators. Most of the cases are mild. The condition of all the patients undergoing treatment is stable."

Replying to a question on community transmission, Prasad categorically said there is no community spread (of COVID-19) in the state.

"All patients in UP can be traced back to a person who returned from abroad. In Noida, where people of a factory have been infected, all the case could be traced back to the United Kingdom. All the cases of the state could be traced back to a foreign country," he said.

Prasad said people coming to UP from other places will be screened in their districts.

"If they are suspected of being a coronavirus carrier, they will be isolated in the hospitals, and asymptomatic people will be placed in quarantine facilities in schools, dharamshalas etc. DMs have been told about this. After they complete the quarantine facility term, they will be allowed to go to their villages," he said.

Cautioning that there is no need to panic, the principal secretary said people just need to stay alert and adhere to the social distancing norms.

He also said facilities are being continuously ramped up in the state.

"We have already sent a proposal to purchase 200 additional ventilators," he said, adding, "We will also engage private sector hospitals in this treatment of COVID-19 cases."

"We are preparing a package for them. A number of private sector hospitals have approached us to treat COVID-19 patients and make their hospitals a COVID hospital. They will also be turned into dedicated-COVID hospitals. The patients of such private hospital will either be shifted or discharged," said Prasad.

Referring to the three-tier hospital system devised by the state government, Prasad said, "Every district will have L1 (level one) hospitals. This is ready, it will be located at the CHC, which has been made a dedicated COVID hospital. In some districts, the number of such hospitals is more than one."

"The L3 hospitals are super speciality hospitals like the 200-bed SGPGI Lucknow, KGMU Meerut and BRD Gorakhpur spread across the state and will be five to seven in number. Critical cases will be attended to in these hospitals," he said.

The L2 hospitals will be the rest of medical colleges and hospitals at the divisions' headquarter level.

This will be done in the next 3-4 days, he said.

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