When all 10,000 people tested negative for the coronavirus amid a raging pandemic, health officials in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly district smelt a RAT.
Sources in the district health department said that thousands of Covid rapid antigen test (RAT) kits sent from the state headquarters in Lucknow had turned out to be faulty.
According to the sources, when experts had pointed out that all results were coming out negative, seniors in the district health department had insisted that they continue testing with the same kits. When finally RT-PCR tests were conducted on people suspected to be infected from among the 10,000 tested earlier with the RAT kits, 700 were found to be infected over two days, the sources said.
In between teachers unions released a list of over 700 teachers who allegedly died due to Covid they contracted during poll duty. Allahabad high court then issued notice to the election commission seeking explanation. Scores of candidates, some of them winners, also died after being infected.
Preparations for the polls had started as early as in March. One of the major political parties organised ‘chaupals’ (meetings) in 50,000 villages of the state to reach out to voters at the booth level.
Other parties were not behind as they too went full steam. Facing severe criticism for organising polls amid a raging pandemic, chief minister Yogi Adityanath said they were conducted on the direction of the Allahabad high court. Critics, however, pointed out that the government could have approached the Supreme Court for a stay, but it did not.
ET Politics and Nation NEWS
|
Powered by
UP takes steps to keep Covid s new strain at bay as old strain claims 13 lives
SECTIONS
UP takes steps to keep Covid s new strain at bay as old strain claims 13 livesPTI
Last Updated: Dec 27, 2020, 10:03 PM IST
Share
Synopsis
The discovery of new strain B-117 of coronavirus in the UK and elsewhere has led the Uttar Pradesh government to issue a stringent set of SOPs requiring mandatory RT-PCR tests for travellers coming from England and their isolation in institutional facilities on being found positive.
In the past 24 hours, 1,391 Covid-19 patients recovered from the viral disease and were discharged.