UP News: COVID-19 Cases Rise In Lucknow; Testing Gaps Persist At Government Hospitals

In the past 24 hours, Lucknow has reported two new COVID-19 cases, raising the total active count in the city to seven. One patient, a 34 year old resident of Gomti Nagar, tested positive after returning from Bengaluru. Another case involves a 56 year old heart patient from Triveni Nagar with no recent travel history.

Despite the rise in infections, RT-PCR testing is still unavailable in major government hospitals. Patients are turning to private labs for tests, often at high costs. Civil Hospital, Balrampur Hospital, and Lokbandhu Hospital all lack adequate testing infrastructure.

Hospital administrators admit to either referring patients to KGMU or restricting testing to severe cases. Chief Medical Officer Dr. N.B. Singh claimed that antigen kits were dispatched to all community health centres (CHCs), with expanded testing plans underway.

Amid growing outpatient numbers with fever and cold symptoms, experts stress the need to restore COVID-19 protocols and testing facilities promptly to contain further spread.