This was also the fastest addition of 1,000 cases as it took merely three days to reach from 7,000 to 8,000 mark. (Representational Photo)
The coronavirus cases in Uttar Pradesh surged to 8,075 on Sunday in a sharpest spike witnessed so far with the state reporting 378 new cases in the last 24 hours. Four more Covid-19 patients died — one each in Agra, Meerut, Deoria and Gorakhpur – taking the total death count to 217.
The latest surge rang the alarm bells in Gautam Buddh Nagar (Noida) and Ghaziabad districts which recorded 49 and 33 cases, respectively.
With this, Noida has now the highest number of active cases at 171 with neighbouring Ghaziabad at 113, making it the fourth highest district in terms of active cases.
Gautam Buddh Nagar administration said that 42 per cent of the cases in the last 20 days have been attributed to Delhi that has warranted restriction to inter-state border movement of people.
Other than Noida and Ghaziabad, two more districts – Basti with 129 and Amethi with 117 – have their active cases in three digits. A total of 11 districts in the state – Lalitpur, Hamirpur, Sonbhadra, Mahoba, Kushinagar, Kasganj, Banda, Hathras, Jhansi, Sitapur and Jalaun – have their active cases in single digits.
This was also the fastest addition of 1,000 cases as it took merely three days to reach from 7,000 to 8,000 mark.
Among the remaining cases, 20 were reported from Deoria, 19 each from Ghazipur and Firozabad, 16 from Lucknow (including a 7-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy), 14 each from Varanasi and Amethi, 13 each from Meerut, Jaunpur and Sambhal, and 10 from Maharajganj.
The total number of active infections in the state is now 3,015, crossing the 3,000 mark for the first time. So far, 4,843 patients have been discharged.
Meanwhile, three jail inmates – two in Aligarh district jail and one in Naini Central Jail of Prayagraj – have tested positive for coronavirus.
According to the state prison department, a total of 47 inmates have so far tested positive in the state.
The two Aligarh jail inmates, who tested positive, were arrested by neighbouring Hathras police earlier this month. Since there is no jail in Hathras, so the two — one arrested for murder and another in a bike theft case — were sent to Aligarh jail on May 26. “On their arrival at Aligarh district jail, samples of both the accused were collected and sent for Covid test. Both the inmates, who are in their 20s, tested positive. They have been shifted to a government hospital,” Aligarh district jailor PK Singh.
“We have decided to get 140 inmates, who came in contact with those two, tested. Samples of 60 policemen were also collected today,” he added.
In Hathras, police have also started identifying those who came in contact with them during the arrest.
Superintendent of Police (Hathras) Gaurav Bansal said that as a precautionary measure we have quarantined nine policemen so far.
In Naini Central Jail of Prayagraj, a 29-year-old jailed in a theft case has tested positive for coronavirus. “The main was brought to jail on May 24 after which his sample was collected for coronavirus test. He has now been sent to a government hospital for treatment. We have decided to test 111 prisoners who came in his contact,” said DIG (Jail) BR Verma.
Circle Officer, Prayagraj, Amit Kumar Srivastava said that they are trying to collect information from jail and then accordingly will decide what to be done with those policemen who came in contact with the accused.