COVID-19: UP brings down positivity rate to 4.8%, Bombay HC lauds state's model

Uttar Pradesh government said that its stringent action towards stemming the COVID-19 pandemic has brought the positivity rate of infections from 16.33% in April to 4.8%. The Yogi Adityanath-led government has earned praises from not only the World Health Organization (WHO) but NITI Aayog and Bombay High Court as well. The UP government said on Saturday that the court's order indicated that Bombay HC is convinced by the model adopted by state government to save people and children from the coronavirus infection.

The UP model that Bombay High Court referred to was the decision taken by UP Chief Minister Yogi Aditanath to ramp up the number of paediatric ICU beds in the state. The move came as several experts suggested a possible third wave of COVID-19 pandemic which might pose a greater risk to the children. The official statement by the UP government stated that the Bench of Bombay High Court comprising of Chief Justice Dipankar Dutta and Justice Girish Kulkarni recognised the state’s model. The official release added, “It asked the Maharashtra government to consider doing so there."

NITI Aayog lauds UP government

As several states continue to flag oxygen shortage, National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog on Friday lauded the Uttar Pradesh Government's model of oxygen transport and tracking. Taking to Twitter on May 14, NITI Aayog elaborated how the Yogi Adityanath-led government has established the coordinated system for allocating the much-needed oxygen in the state’s fight against COVID-19. NITI Aayog also shared that a "mammoth drive" was taken up by the state in over 90,000 villages to identify and isolate COVID-positive citizens and trace their contacts. Due to such enhanced efforts, the government has been able to lift 1000 MT of oxygen instead of 250, added NITI Aayog.

Prior to being lauded by NITI Aayog, the UP government also bagged World Health Organization (WHO) praises for its surveillance, tracing, and testing of COVID-19 patients. Apart from announcing free COVID-19 vaccination for journalists,  Uttar Pradesh is also extended the partial corona restrictions owing to the virus till May 17. 

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