How UP defied second wave doomsayers

Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state with 240 million people and home to every sixth Indian, has begun unlocking from the partial coronavirus curfew, with a full lifting of curbs to follow soon.

When the second wave cast its ominous shadow in April, many experts opined the state would clock over a lakh cases per day in May. However, Yogi Adityanath’s evolved formula of “3Ts” (test, trace, treatment) coupled with partial corona curfew and “aggressive vaccination”, left them wonder-struck.

Uttar Pradesh’s total loss of lives (21,252) is much less than countries like the United Kingdom (127,840) and United States of America (612, 366). Even when compared with Indian states with a much lower population like Delhi (24,591 total deaths) and Maharashtra (100,130), Uttar Pradesh has managed to keep the loss of lives to the minimum with its effective interventions.

How exactly did the state turn the corner with regard to the second wave? The door-to-door survey of all villages and the house-to-house surveillance in the urban and rural areas covering more than 18 crore out of 24 crore population helped in identifying people with symptoms.

Also, the implementation of sector scheme, which is usually resorted to in areas faced with a law-and-order situation, was very effective in maintaining vigil on hospitals and villages.

The protocol for testing set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) called for 32,000 tests per day, but the UP government conducted three lakh tests per day and made it possible for the authorities to check the spread. WHO has acknowledged the efforts of the state.

On April 30 this year, the state reached the peak with the active cases touching 3,10,783, creating an acute shortage of hospitals, ICU beds and oxygen.

But within weeks, the government rallied its entire machinery alongside private hospitals, corporate and other stakeholders to ensure additional beds, Covid hospitals, Covid care centres and oxygen plants. In a first, the OxyTracker app was developed to ensure a smooth, timely and transparent supply of oxygen to hospitals.

As a result, UP effectively managed to increase its oxygen supply from various sources from 350 metric tonnes to 1100 MT (almost three times). The state’s test-and-track model was lauded by the Niti Aayog as well. Further, over two crore vaccine doses have already been administered in the state.

Yogi Adityanath, after testing positive in April, continued to virtually preside over important meetings during his isolation. As soon as he tested negative, the very next day he lined up field visits to the remotest part of the state. He has covered all the divisions (comprising multiple districts).

With the experience of dealing with Japanese Encephalitis in Gorakhpur as a five-member MP, where he oversaw the functioning of the Gorakhnath Hospital, Yogi’s exposition of the scientific interventions needed to tackle the second wave and the strategy of micro planning, door- to-door visits, concurrent monitoring and follow-ups have resulted in the successful management of the Covid-19 second wave.