58 people test COVID-19 positive in UP; cases rise to 1,507

Lucknow, Apr 23 () The number of COVID-19 cases rose to 1,507 in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday as 58 more people tested positive for the infection, an official said.

Out of the total cases, 1,299 are active patients while 187 have been treated and discharged, Principal Secretary, Health, Amit Mohan Prasad told reporters here.

"The total number of cases reported in the state have increased to 1,507. The state has so far witnessed 21 deaths due to the coronavirus," he said.

"The cases have been reported from 56 (out of total 75 districts of the state). Among them there are no active cases in 11 districts. Now, only 45 district have active cases," Prasad said.

He said of the total cases, 938 are from the Tablighi Jamaat event or persons, who came in contact with them.

The event, a religious congregation, had taken place in March in the Nizamuddin area of national capital Delhi.

"All the patients are recovering and now the number of cases are stabilising" he said.

On Wednesday, he said, 3,737 samples were collected and a total of 3,955, including backlog of samples, were tested. This is "record testing" in a single day, Prasad said.

He said at present, 1,584 persons are in isolation wards while 11,826 are in quarantine facilities in the state.

Eleven of the coronavirus-hit districts that have no active cases now, include Pratapgarh, Pilibhit, Lakhimpur Khiri, Hathras, Bareilly, Prayagraj, Maharajganj, Shahjahanpur, Barabanki, Hardoi and Kaushambi, Prasad said.

The total 21 deaths reported include one each at Basti, Varanasi, Bulandshahar, Kanpur, Lucknow, Firozabad, and Aligarh, three at Meerut, five at Moradabad and six at Agra. ABN ANBANB