With 3,290 cases, Uttar Pradesh records highest single-day rise in about six months

The state has a high recovery rate of 96 per cent till now, with 6,00,577 of 6,25,923 patients having recovered from the disease.

With 14 deaths in 24 hours, the fatality count in UP climbed to 8,850. State capital Lucknow remains by far the worst affected district with 1,041 people testing positive since Friday. The district also has the highest active cases (5,408) and has recorded the most deaths (1,228).

In the rest of the state, 299 people tested positive in Prayagraj, 226 patients were found in Varanasi and 171 tested positive in Kanpur Nagar. Amid the latest surge, the state has 5,392 containment zones.

Additional Chief Secretary (Information) Navneet Sehgal alerted people about the increasing number of cases, said the government was committed to controlling the pandemic. Both testing and treatment facilities were being increased, he added.

The government said the vaccination process was also being stepped up and those above 45 years were urged to register themselves on the CoWin portal and get their shots. So far 53,67,043 people have got the first vaccine dose while 10,61,184 have completed the inoculation process.

Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Amit Mohan Prasad said the state government was going to start focused vaccination just like it conducted focused testing in the past. As part of this initiative, vaccination dates have been fixed for shopkeepers, bankers, government employees, street vendors, media persons, drivers and other professionals who frequently come in contact with the public.

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“The dates of April 8 and 9 are fixed for media personnel and shopkeepers. April 10 is for bank and insurance company employees. Similarly, April 12,13 and 14 are for schoolteachers; April 15 and 16 are for drivers and street vendors; April 17 and 19 are for government employees, and April 20 and 21 are for lawyers and judiciary officials. On April 22 and 23, we will request private office employees to come to their nearest centre and get vaccinated. All those falling into these categories and above 45 years of age can take benefit of the calendar we have made,” said Prasad.