Giving a major boost to Uttar Pradesh in the battle against the novel coronavirus, as many as 10 districts of the State have become Covid-free with fresh cases declining to zero there.
Aligarh, Amroha, Etah, Farrukhabad, Hathras, Kasganj, Kaushambi, Mahoba, Pratapgarh and Shravasti, with emphasis on effective screening, treatment and vaccination, have added to Uttar Pradesh’s success in crushing the COVID-19 curve, and the state’s 98.6 per cent recovery rate testifies to the success of the ‘UP Covid Control Model’ in eradicating the deadly virus.
"With its highest testing, highest recovery rate, lowest test positivity rate and aggressive vaccination, Uttar Pradesh has emerged as a clear winner in combating coronavirus as the state’s Covid condition shows a healthier picture in comparison to all other states,” said government spokesman Sidharth Nath Singh.
In what comes as a big relief, none of the 75 districts in Uttar Pradesh have reported fresh cases of coronavirus infection in double digits for nearly a week now.
Indicating signs that the dangerous virus is receding from the state, as many as 52 districts reported no fresh case of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, whereas 23 districts reported new cases in just single digits. In another significant development, the active caseload in the most populous state, which was at a high of 3,10,783 in April, has been reduced to just 664 now, whereas states like Kerala and Maharashtra account for a heavy active caseload of 1,61,332 and 80,871 respectively. "The State’s Covid-19 response has turned out superior as it has done exceptionally well in bringing down the transmission levels by restricting the fresh cases to below 100 for nearly 20 days now," Singh said.
Out of the 2,48,152 samples tested in the last 24 hours, merely 36 tested positive in the most populous state of the country.
Taking proactive measures such as aggressive 'trace, test and treat' approach and prevention through vaccination and partial Covid curfews to eradicate the pandemic, the UP government has left no stone unturned to minimise the devastating impact of the novel coronavirus as a result of which the positivity rate has slumped to 0.01 per cent, the lowest in the country, Singh added.
"With a density of 690 persons per square kilometre, Uttar Pradesh, in the entire country, also appeared as the only state to have tested more than three lakh samples a day and more than 6.57 crore samples for COVID-19 so far. The testing was particularly ramped up to reach the rural pockets of the state," the spokesman said.
Meanwhile, in a bid to achieve self-sufficiency in production of the life-saving oxygen which became scarce during the second wave of COVID-19 across the country, Uttar Pradesh has ramped up its oxygen production as 254 out of the 551 sanctioned plants have become functional.
As part of its mission to achieve self-sufficiency in the production of medical oxygen in Uttar Pradesh, the state government is currently working on war footing to get all plants functional by August 15.