Yogi Adityanath convenes all-party meet as Uttar Pradesh records 9,695 new COVID-19 cases, 37 more deaths in a day

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Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh reported 9,695 new coronavirus cases and 37 more deaths in a day on Friday amid a renewed surge in infections prompting Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to convene an all-party meet next week on the COVID-19 situation in the state.

The chief minister and Governor Anandiben Patel will meet political leaders on April 11, and on the next two days, they will meet mayors and religious leaders to discuss the situation and seek their participation to spread anti-COVID awareness.

Uttar Pradesh's COVID-19 caseload rose to 6,63,991 with 9,695 new cases while 37 fatalities pushed the death toll to 9,039, according to a health department bulletin. The state now has 48,306 active cases while 6,06,646 patients have recovered so far in the state, Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Amit Mohan Prasad said.

Among the active cases, 22,904 people are in home isolation, 835 in private and the rest undergoing treatment in government hospitals, he said. Of the fresh cases, a maximum of 2,934 was reported from Lucknow, 1,016 from Prayagraj, 845 from Varanasi, 522 from Kanpur and 333 from Gorakhpur, the bulletin stated.

Among the deaths reported in a day, a maximum of 14 were reported from Lucknow, three each from Kanpur and Prayagraj, and two each from Varanasi, Barabanki and Firozabad, it said.

The state has so far has tested over 3.63 crore samples for the detection of COCID-19, including over 1.97 lakh on Thursday.
Over 81 lakh people have been administered COVID-19 vaccine in the state. It includes over 69 lakh who have got the first shot and over 11 lakh who have been administered both doses, Prasad said.

Earlier, while taking stock of the COVID-19 situation in the state, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath asked officials to prioritise the vaccination of targeted groups in Lucknow, Allahabad, Varanasi, Kanpur, Ghaziabad, Gorakhpur, Moradabad and Saharanpur districts.

He also asked officials to ensure minimum wastage of anti-coronavirus vaccines during inoculation. Adityanath also asked officials to chalk out an action plan to successfully organise the 'Teeka Utsav' from April 11 to 14 as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The chief minister also okayed the holding of a three-day programme from April 11, involving leaders and workers of all political parties, mayors and religious leaders for spreading awareness of anti-Covid precautions, dispelling vaccine-hesitancy and other related issues.

A system should be made under which only 50 per cent of the workers in government and private establishments of Lucknow, Allahabad, Varanasi and Kanpur cities should come in a day, Adityanath said. He asked officials to devise a roster to implement this decision.

Meanwhile, according to a report from Hamirpur, District Magistrate Gyaneshwar Tripathi has tested positive for coronavirus. The DM, who had taken both doses of the anti-COVID vaccine, has tested positive for the disease. He has quarantined himself in his residence, CMO of Hamirpur Dr R K Sachan said.