A year after 1st wave peak, UP logs only 10 new cases

Experts say lack of Covid appropriate behaviour among people could be cause for concern

LUCKNOW: Only 10 new Covid-19 cases were reported across Uttar Pradesh on Friday, according to official data. This number is far below the 7103 fresh cases that the state had reported a year before on September 11, 2020. It was the maximum case count in one day during the peak of the first wave of Covid.

The decline in numbers appeared to be the end of Covid, but lack of Covid appropriate behaviour could be a cause for concern, said Prof Kauser Usman, senior faculty at King George’s Medical University (KGMU), who gave consultation to at least 700 patients over the telephone during the pandemic.

Doctors feel that the lessons of the first wave have gradually been forgotten by people.

“We coined the term new normal and it demanded social distancing and avoiding unnecessary gathering. The new normal has been forgotten along with other learnings from the pandemic. Community get-togethers for various reasons are back,” said Dr NS Verma, senior faculty with the department of physiology at KGMU.

“On Friday, the state had just 191 active cases under treatment against 67,321 on September 11, 2020,” said Dr Abhishek Shukla, secretary general, Association of International Doctors.

“With over 400 oxygen plants, over 6700 paediatric and neonatal ICU beds, better knowledge about Covid and better equipped and trained doctors, we are stronger on the medical front. But on the behaviour front, people need to improve a lot,” said Prof Verma.

UP’s highest single day fresh case count was 38,055 on April 24, 2021 at the peak of the second wave.