Uttar Pradesh capped Covid peak at 38,000 cases, tally now just 4,800: CM Yogi Adityanath

JHANSI/LUCKNOW: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said, contrary to fears of UP touching a peak of one lakh cases per day, his government restricted the number to a little over 38,000 in a day during the lethal run of Covid second wave.
“The number has now been brought down to just over 4,800. The recovery rate too has touched 93%,” Yogi said, while speaking to reporters in Jhansi. The CM, who was on a visit to Jhansi and Banda to take stock of measures to stem the second wave and prepare for a potential third wave, maintained that the partial curfew, which has been extended till May 31, helped the state to break the chain of infection.
“Not only lives, but also livelihood was top priority of the state government,” he said, stressing that the exercise of conducting door-to-door surveys was showing good results with the positivity rate plunging.
Yogi admitted an oxygen crisis during the second wave and attributed this to a sudden rise in demand. “But that was met with the support from the Centre,” Yogi said, while announcing that the state government would set up 15 oxygen plants in Jhansi division, which also comprises districts of Jalaun and Lalitpur. Of this, six plants will come up in Jhansi alone. He also announced a 500-bed hospital, which was stopped mid-way on the medical college campus, will be completed in next 4-6 months. He directed officials to set up 100 more beds for post-Covid patients.Lauding the district administration, Yogi directed officials to ensure adequate beds along with availability of gynaecologists and paediatricians to tackle a probable third wave. He directed officials to set up a paediatric ICU and special wards for pregnant women.
Yogi pitched for an aggressive awareness campaign exhorting people to get themselves vaccinated and take all types of precautions and follow Covid protocols. The CM also visited the Integrated Command and Control Center (ICCC) in the Nagar Nigam premises. He also met public representatives along with doctors and administrative officers at the medical college auditorium
He directed officials to ensure seamless wheat procurement and warned of stern action against those creating hurdles, while directing action against private hospitals, pathology labs and ambulances, which were fleecing Covid patients.
Later, he visited the health centre at Garhmau village, where he reviewed arrangements, enquired about vaccination drive and interacted with members of the village monitoring committee. Stressing on the mantra of 'Mera Gaon: Corona Mukt Gaon', Yogi urged villagers to take part in the exercise to make their village Covid-free. He also emphasized that people coming from outside should compulsorily undergo antigen test and RTPCR test.