8,737 fresh Covid cases, 255 deaths in state

Lucknow reports 19 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking the fatality count to 2,287; 1,459 patients discharged from various hospitals during the same period

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh recorded 8,737 fresh Covid cases in the last 24 hours, taking the infection tally to 16,37,727. In all, 255 more people succumbed to the virus, pushing the fatality count to 18,072.

There were 1,36,342 active cases in the state on Tuesday, in comparison to the peak of active cases (3,10,783) on April 30. “The state has recorded a decline of 56% (1.74 lakh) in active cases,” said Amit Mohan Prasad, additional chief secretary, health and family welfare.

He said 21,108 Covid patients had recovered, taking the recovery tally to 14,83,249 while the recovery rate improved to 90.60% on Tuesday. The case positivity rate, which was 20% when the second wave hit the state, had declined to 3.2%.

Lucknow reported the maximum fresh cases – 502, Kanpur 154, Prayagraj 158, Ghaziabad 289, Gautam Buddh Nagar 345, Gorakhpur 295, Bareilly 150, Mathura 223, Muzaffarnagar 337, Saharanpur 374, Jhansi 42, Meerut 453 and Varanasi 322, according to the state health department. During the day, Meerut saw the maximum fatalities – 20, Lucknow 19, Kanpur 12, Saharanpur 11, Agra 10, Jhansi and Azamgarh nine each, Chandauli eight, Varanasi and Amroha seven each.

DEEPAK GUPTA/HT PHOTOS (Clockwise) A girl taking the jab; a Covid patient being fed by a medical staff; a doctor taking a selfie with a patient and people showing a victory sign during vaccination, at different hospitals in Lucknow on Tuesday.