Noida and Ghaziabad contributed to over 960 new COVID cases pushing Uttar Pradesh’s daily coronavirus tally to over 3000-mark on Thursday.
Noida: Noida and Ghaziabad contributed to over 960 new COVID cases as Uttar Pradesh’s daily coronavirus tally crossed 3000-mark on Thursday. Uttar Pradesh on Thursday reported 3,121 fresh COVID cases in the last 24 hours, according to the figures released by the health department. Out of this, over 960 new cases surfaced in Noida and Ghaziabad.
The official figures of Noida and Ghaziabad alone is yet to be officially confirmed although the data of daily COVID tally in Uttar Pradesh was released by the health department, a report by Dainik Bhaskar stated. Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh has reported 31 cases of Omicron.
This comes a day after single-day COVID cases in Uttar Pradesh doubled on Wednesday than the previous day. According to the official data, 2,038 new Covid cases were reported in the state on Wednesday against 992 on Tuesday. Earlier, new cases numbered around 2,000 in the last week of May 2021. On May 30, 2021, there were 1,908 fresh cases and on May 29, 2287 new cases were reported.
What UP govt said on COVID status
A government official on Wednesday said as per the new order, districts with more than 1,000 active cases would follow certain restrictions. “In districts with over 1000 active cases, schools up to Class 10 will remain till January 14 while places such as cinema halls, gyms, spas, banquet halls and restaurants will have to operate with 50 per cent capacity. At present, only Gautam Buddha Nagar has over 1,000 active cases,” Amit Mohan Prasad, additional chief secretary, medical and health.
He further said, “There is no need to panic but take adequate precaution. A new guideline has been issued on home isolation by the Government of India. It says 7 days of home isolation is required for patients.”
The total first dose of COVID vaccine administered in Uttar Pradesh till now crossed the 13-crore mark on Wednesday. More than 96 per cent of those in the 45-60 years age group in Uttar Pradesh are partially vaccinated while nearly 84 per cent of those in the remaining two categories-18-45 years and 60-plus-have taken the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has urged people due for the second dose to get themselves vaccinated at the earliest as the new variant is raising its head again.
COVID guidelines for Noida-Ghaziabad: Key Points
- With effect from Thursday (Jan 6), night curfew timings have been extended by two hours. The night curfew will now be from 10 pm to 6 a.m, instead of the earlier 11 pm to 5 am.
- A maximum 100 people will be allowed at any event, like weddings, in covered halls while the limit will be 50 per cent of total capacity in open areas
- Physical classes up to 10th standard in all schools will remain suspended till January 14
- Restaurants, cinema halls, etc will also function at 50 per cent of its full capacity during the period
- Cinema halls, gyms, spas, banquet halls and restaurants will have to operate with 50 per cent capacity
- It has been made mandatory for devotees coming to Prayagraj Magh Mela to produce a negative RT-PCR test report, which should not be older than 24 hours
Is Uttar Pradesh prepared for third COVID wave
With the third wave of the coronavirus having arrived, the Uttar Pradesh government has started upgrading its armour to deal with the pandemic. UP CM Yogi Adityanath has directed officials to make the facility of Genome Sequencing available in major medical institutions of Gorakhpur, Jhansi, Ghaziabad and SGPGIMS in Lucknow.
“Genome sequencing is being done in many institutions of the state for accurate identification of Covid-19 variants. Seeing the rise in cases, it is necessary to increase the means of genome sequencing,” CM Yogi Adityanath said.
The state government has already activated COVID-19 help desk with immediate effect in all government, semi-government, private, trust, institutions, companies, educational institutions, offices, and industrial units of the state. The Integrated Covid Command and Control Centre (ICCC) set up in all the districts of the state, have also been activated and regular meeting on the situation are being revived.
UP health minister Jai Pratap Singh said, “We had already upgraded our medical infrastructure during the first and second wave. The entire system had been put in place and we are now simply reactivating it.”
District magistrates have been asked to ensure that there are sufficient Covid wards – in government as well as private hospitals – so that patients are not deprived of medical care in time. “Oxygen plants are also active and ready to roll out in time,” said the minister.
He further said that monitoring committees have played an effective role in the fight against the pandemic so far. By activating these, door-to-door vaccination status is being surveyed and the remaining people is being vaccinated.
Dr R K Mishra, senior medical practitioner who offers consultancy in a private hospital, meanwhile, said: “The true test of the effectiveness of the system will take place only when the situation arises. As of now, only about one per cent of the Omicron patients need hospitalization while the others are in home isolation. As things seem, we are prepared in terms of medical equipment, beds, oxygen etc.”
(With inputs from Agencies)
