112 more coronavirus cases surface in UP; total count 1,449

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Lucknow, Apr 22 () The coronavirus count rose to 1,449 in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday as 112 more people tested positive for the infection, an official said.

The disease has claimed 21 lives in the state so far.

Of the fresh cases, the maximum 21 were reported from Moradabad followed by Agra, where 18 people were found infected with the infection, Dr Vikasendu Agrawal, Joint Director, Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme, said in a statement.

So far, 173 COVID-19 patients in the state have been discharged after treatment. Of these, 11 were discharged on Wednesday.

No fresh COVID-19 death was reported on Wednesday and the death tally remains at 21, Principal Secretary (Medical and Health) Amit Mohan Prasad said.

The count of active cases in the state stands at 1,255, he said.

Agarwal said 11 of the coronavirus-hit district have no active case now.

These districts are Pratapgarh, Pilibhit, Lakhimpur Khiri, Hathras, Bareilly, Prayagraj, Maharajganj, Shahjahanpur, Barabanki, Hardoi and Kaushambi, he said.

Earlier briefing reporters here, Amit Mohan Prasad said, "These districts have been told to exercise extreme caution and continue with tests."

Pool testing is going on in Lucknow, Meerut and Etawah and soon it will be started in Jhansi and Allahabad, he said.

Pooling of samples involves testing them in batches and when pooled sample tests positive, then individual samples are assessed. Pool testing reduces the number of test kits used, therefore, increases testing capacity.

Prasad said, "No vaccine or medicine has been developed till now to cure this disease. Hence, prevention is the only solution."

"A person must cover his face as it will help control the further spread of the disease from an infected person. Apart from this, social distancing and 20-second handwash should also be done, apart from boosting ones immunity," he said.

He said elderly people, especially those with medical conditions, should be looked after.

Giving the break-up of COVID-19 patients in the state, he said 78.80 per cent of the patients are males while 21.20 per cent are females.

Around 8.3 per cent of the patients are above 60 years of age while 19.51 per cent of them are between 0-20 years of age.

Around 47.49 per cent of the patients belong to the age bracket 21-40 while 24.66 per cent of the infected people are 41-60 years of age, he said. NAV RDKRDK