People coming to UP to be tested for Covid

Lucknow, Oct 29 (IANS) Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed officials to ensure that anyone coming to Uttar Pradesh from other states and abroad is to be tested for Covid-19.

This includes those coming, especially, from abroad and states like Kerala and Maharashtra.

He has also said that the government must focus on inoculating more people who are eligible for the second dose.

Even as Uttar Pradesh's own active cases continue to hover around the 100-mark, the chief minister has asked officials not to show any laxity.

While the state has now registered maximum number of people who are fully vaccinated -- the number has crossed the 3 crore mark -- there are still about one crore people who are yet to take their second dose.

According to the government spokesman, "The CM has said that the efforts to ensure that all persons take their second shot on time should be ramped up. The state has already earmarked Saturdays exclusively for those who have to take their second shots."

Meanwhile, as Covid-19 cases are going up in other states and neighbouring countries, the surveillance committees have been asked to remain alert and focus on house visits once again.

"The surveillance committees were a useful tool in controlling the spread of the pandemic in the state as members would visit homes, identify possible patients, distribute medicines and pulse oximeters, etc.

"These were highly active till July or August but now that cases around UP are rising once again, they have been put on high alert and asked to restart their visits to identify anyone who is showing influenza-like illness," said the spokesperson.

The committees have also been asked to check and report the spread of vector-borne diseases.

The exercise will be stepped up in festival season when there may be a possibility of increasing cases.

Meanwhile, after several days of no Covid casualties in Uttar Pradesh, one patient from Bulandshahr district succumbed to the virus in the past 24 hours.