UP: 21 of fresh 23 coronavirus cases related to Jamaat event; total count 433

The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Uttar Pradesh rose to 433 on Friday, with 23 new cases being reported, of whom 21 are linked to the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi, the state government said.

It said the deadly virus has now spread to 40 of the state’s 75 districts, with Agra being the worst hit at 88 positive cases and one death.

"As many as 431 people have tested positive so far in the state. These cases are in 40 districts. Of the (total positive cases), 32 have been treated," Principal Secretary (Health) Amit Mohan Prasad told reporters.

In a bulletin later, the state government updated the total number of positive cases to 433, of whom 245 are linked to the Tablighi Jamaat event.

Among the fresh cases, six were reported from Meerut, five each from Agra and Amroha, three from Ghazipur, and one each from Gautam Buddh Nagar, Basti, Auraiya , Rampur, the bulletin said.

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Twenty-one of the 23 fresh cases are related to the Tablighi Jammat event in New Delhi in March, it said.

The district wise tally in the state is: Agra (88), Gautam Buddh Nagar (64), Meerut (44), Lucknow (29), Ghaziabad (25), Saharanpur (20), Shamli (17), Firozabad (11) and Sitapur (10), the bulletin said.

The districts that have recoded cases in single digits are: Basti, Kanpur and Varanasi (nine each); Bulandshahr (eight), Amroha (7); Hapur, Maharajganj, Pratapgarh, Rampur and Bareilly (six each); Ghazipur, Baghpat (five each); Azamgarh, Hathras, Muzaffarnagar, Jaunpur and Lakhimpur Kheri (four each), it said.

Besides, Auraiya has reported three cases; Pilibhit , Banda, Mirzapur, Rae Bareli, Kaushambi, Mathura and Hardoi (two each); and Moradabad, Shahjahanpur, Barabanki, Bijnore, Prayagraj, Badaun (one each), the bulletin said,

Earlier in the day, Prasad had said, "So far, 9,041 samples have been tested of which 8,250 were found to be negative, 431 were found positive and results of the rest are still awaited.”

Presently, around 1,000 samples being tested every day, but the facilities at testing centres will be ramped up to 1,500 to 2,000, Prasad added.

Till Thursday, there were 410 cases in the state of whom 225 are linked to the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi last month, he said.

The death toll in the state due to COVID-19 stands at four - one each in Meerut, Basti, Varanasi and Agra districts.

Additional Chief Secretary Awanish Awasthi said 75 per cent of the total coronavirus positive cases in the state (about 300) are in hotspots that have been identified in 15 districts.

"These hotspots are under strict lockdown and sealed. A magistrate has been appointed for every hotspot," he said.