In Lucknow, five of the six fresh cases were connected with the Tablighi Jamaat, five in Shamli, two each in Agra and Noida, three in Kanpur and one each in Bijnor and Prayagraj. (PTI Photo)

With 33 fresh coronavirus cases reported in the state, including a two-and-a-half-year-old child of a Canada returned doctor who had earlier tested positive for COVID-19, the total number of cases rose to 311 by Monday, according to the state government.

The number of cases connected with the Jamaat has reached 166 — more than 53%.

Of the fresh cases, at least 28 were linked to Tablighi Jamaat congregations in Delhi’s Nizamuddin area. Eight of the total fresh cases were recorded from Sitapur, six from Lucknow, five each from Shamli and Agra, three from Kanpur, two from Noida, and one each from Kaushambi, Bijnor, Badaun and Prayagraj.

Sitapur District Magistrate (DM) Akhilesh Tiwari said all the eight fresh cases were linked to Jamaat. Seven of them belonged to Bangladesh and another to Maharshtra. “There were 33 people, including 10 Bangladeshis, who were staying at a mosque and did not inform the authorities. When we got to know about this, we brought them to the isolation centre and sent their samples for testing. Eight were found positive. No test report is awaited,” said Tiwari.

In Lucknow, five of the six fresh cases were connected with the Tablighi Jamaat, five in Shamli, two each in Agra and Noida, three in Kanpur and one each in Bijnor and Prayagraj.

At least 22 patients have recovered: eight each from Agra and Noida, three from Ghaziabad, two from Lucknow and one from Kanpur. As many as 37 districts in the state have been affected by the pandemic and 19 of them are connected to the Jamaat.

Noida is still the hotspot in the state with 58 cases, followed by 52 from Agra, 33 from Meerut, 23 each from Lucknow and Ghaziabad, 14 from Shamli and 13 cases from Saharanpur district.

The doctor, whose child was tested positive on Monday, was found to be infected with the virus on March 12 after her return from Canada, said authorities at Lucknow’s King George Medical University (KGMU). She recovered on March 21 while her mother-in-law and father-in-law tested positive on March 30 and April 1. Her in-laws are being treated at Base Hospital in Lucknow Cantonment area. A latest test of the father-in-law returned negative, while that of his wife was positive, a defence spokesperson said. Another contact of the doctor was tested positive earlier in March and is reported to be stable at KGMU. Her four other contacts were discharged from Shyama Prasad Mukherjee (Civil) Hospital on Monday, while she and her child were being transferred to KGMU. “The child was stable,” said Dr R K Porwal, Civil Hospital Chief Medical Superintendent (CMS) where the child was earlier kept.

KGMU spokesperson Dr Sudhir Singh informed that two more patients admitted at the KGMU — including a junior resident doctor who was part of the infection control team at KGMU Lucknow was tested positive on March 18, and a relative of the Canada returned doctor — have recovered and by Monday both had two of their consecutive reports negative. Both of them are expected to be released on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated an integrated Emergency Control Centre at Shastri Bhawan in Lucknow to provide expeditious relief to people, ranging from information about anti-COVID hospitals and quarantine centres to the food to the poor and hungry.

Adityanath said the control room will play an important role in running an anti-corona campaign in the state.

—With PTI Inputs