Meanwhile, Covid tests surged to over 23.25 lakh, with this month witnessing a 207% jump in the number of tests. (Representational photo)

Uttar Pradesh on Friday reported a record 4,453 new Covid-19 cases, which took the infection count to 85,461, while 43 deaths in 24 hours took the statewide toll to 1,630.

Most of the latest cases, 562, were detected in Lucknow, followed by 321 infections in Kanpur Nagar, 295 in Bareilly, and 231 cases in Prayagraj.

Six of the latest fatalities occurred in Kanpur Nagar — the highest — while five each were reported from Lucknow, Varanasi and Bareilly.

In July alone, the state added nearly 62,000 to its caseload, or 73 per cent. It constitutes a monthly average growth rate of 8.76 per cent, which is nearly three percentage points more than the weekly average growth rate. (See adjoining table)

This month also witnessed a nearly 134% increase in Covid-linked fatalities. More than 900 patients died in July — 57% of the total deaths. In the last 31 days, the number of fatalities has risen by 134%. However, the July fatality rate remained very low at 1.51% — mostly because of the high number of new cases since the rate is based on the infection count.

Kanpur Nagar tops the list of total fatalities with 199 people. After that the districts with the most deaths are Meerut (107), Agra (100) and Lucknow (95).

Meanwhile, Covid tests surged to over 23.25 lakh, with this month witnessing a 207% jump in the number of tests.

Following the latest additions to the caseload, the state now has 34,968 active cases, 4,281 of which are in the capital city. Till date, 3,802 patients here have recovered from the disease in Lucknow, while the state’s overall recovery rate is 57.17 per cent.

Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Amit Mohan Prasad told reporters that the state tested 1.5 lakh samples on Thursday. “The total number of tests done till now in the state are 23,25,628,” he added. The official said 2.04 lakh teams had surveyed 1.47 crore houses with around 7.44 crore people.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed officials to maintain utmost caution at all levels to break the chain of the disease, and ensure strict compliance of guidelines in the next phase of lockdown.

At a meeting with senior officials, Adityanath stressed on the need for continuous efforts to create awareness about the virus, said an official release. Expressing satisfaction about the number of tests being conducted daily, he called for prompt door-to-door surveys and contact tracing work without any laxity.

—With PTI inputs