LUCKNOW: Fifty-three more people tested positive for COVID-19 in Uttar Pradesh, bringing the infection count to 17,08,057 on Thursday, while the death toll climbed to 22,743 with one fresh fatality, a health bulletin said.
The latest death was reported from Mathura, it said.
Fifty-six people were also discharged in the last 24 hours after recovering from the infection, Additional Chief Secretary, Health, Amit Mohan Prasad said.
The state's COVID-19 recovery count has reached 16,84,286, he said, adding the number of active cases in Uttar Pradesh stands at 1028.
The state now has a recovery rate of 98.6 per cent, he said So far, over 6.33 crore samples have been tested for COVID-19 in the state, including 2.34 lakh tested the previous day, Prasad said.
About the ongoing Covid vaccination, he said a total of 4.20 crore doses were administered in the state, including over 3.51 crore who took the first dose of the vaccine.
Meanwhile, former UP governor Ram Naik has praised the "consistent efforts and proactive approach" of the state government towards eradicating COVID-19 and said that it was "an example for Maharashtra to follow".
The BJP leader appreciated the efforts made by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the government for the management of COVID-19 as compared to Maharashtra, "which is not even half of UP's population".
"UP's victory in fight against COVID-19 is unparalleled. Despite being the most populous state, UP accounts for just 0.29 per cent of the active case count in India whereas Maharashtra accounts for 24.55 per cent," Naik said in a statement issued here.
Comparing the Covid situation in both the states, Naik underscored that while at least seven districts of Uttar Pradesh have become COVID-free, "Maharashtra provides no such data that could clearly describe the current Covid situation in the state".
Emphasising that Maharashtra needs to emulate UP on Covid control management, Naik said that by leading in terms of tests, vaccination and by controlling the virus spread, "UP has set an example which Maharashtra needs to follow".
"Rather than presenting a false picture of managing COVID-19 in Maharashtra, the Uddhav Thackeray government must implement measures on ground-level to improve the condition," the former UP governor said.