‘21 to 40-yr-old people constitute 50% of coronavirus cases in UP’
LUCKNOW: People in the age group of 21-40 years constitute 50% of the coronavirus cases in Uttar Pradesh, said additional chief secretary, health and family welfare, Amit Mohan Prasad on Monday.
Addressing a press conference, Prasad said data of coronavirus patients compiled by the health department shows that maximum number of infections -- 50.25% -- were reported among youths in the age group of 21 to 40 years, while infection among people above 60 years of age is 7.15%.
Infection among people in age group 0-20 years is 17.03% and among those in age group of 41-60 years is 25.57%. Among the total 23,028 coronavirus cases in the state, 72.22% are male and 7.15% female, he said. Prasad said coronavirus is not a stigma, but a pandemic and anyone can get infected. If anyone tests positive they should be admitted in hospitals. To protect oneself from infection, people should follow government guidelines, he said.
Prasad said on Sunday sample tests in the state crossed 22,000 mark. The state has tested 7.7 lakh samples since the start of the Covid pandemic in March, he said. The number of active cases in the state as on Monday was 6,650 whereas 15,506 patients had been discharged. Recovery rate of patients is 66.86%, he said.
COVID HELPDESK
Additional chief secretary, home, Awanish Kumar Awasthi said on direction of chief minister Yogi Adityanath Covid helpdesks were being set up in health centres and government offices.
Till Monday, helpdesks had been established in 3,441 primary health centres (PHCs) and 853 community health centres located in 75 districts. The state government has already ordered the start of general OPDs in PHCs and CHCs. The helpdesks, equipped with pulse oximeter, infrared thermometer and sanitizer, have been also set up in police stations, block, tehsil and district magistrate’s offices, he said. The state has 2,752 hotspots in various districts and the health teams have surveyed nine lakh houses and 65.45 lakh people residing in the areas.
To create awareness among people about coronavirus, the state government has launched a campaign through radio, TV channels, newspapers, LED vans, hoardings, banners and social media.
Meanwhile, the chief minister has directed the health and medical education departments to increase beds in designated Covid hospitals from 1 lakh to 1.5 lakh, he said. Awasthi said the chief minister directed the urban development department, panchayati raj department, district administration and local bodies to launch a statewide cleanliness drive, he said.