COVID took 'gigantic form' in UP as govt didn't pay attention to testing, contact tracing: Priyanka Gandhi

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday attacked the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh over the rapid rise in coronavirus cases, alleging that the disease has taken a "gigantic form" as the Yogi Adityanath dispensation did not pay attention to key containment measures such as testing and contact tracing.

The Congress general secretary has been criticising the state government's response to the COVID-19 crisis, alleging that it is indulging in propaganda, instead of dealing with the pandemic.

"Despite almost three months of lockdown and all claims of the UP government, coronavirus cases have increased sharply in 25 districts of UP in July," she said in a tweet in Hindi.

There has been a jump of 200 per cent in COVID-19 cases in three districts of UP, 400 per cent in three districts and above 1,000 per cent in one district, Priyanka Gandhi said.

"According to media reports, 70 per cent of the COVID-infected people in Prayagraj died within 48 hours of testing positive," she said.

"We were afraid of this and therefore, at the beginning itself, we had written a letter to the Chief Minister of UP and gave constructive suggestions in this context and also raised the issue of maximum testing," she said.

The disease has taken this "gigantic form" because of the lack of attention to testing, delay in giving reports, juggling of data and not doing contact tracing properly, Priyanka Gandhi alleged.

The UP government has no answers on these issues, she added.

Uttar Pradesh on Friday reported 38 deaths, its highest single-day spike in coronavirus fatalities, raising the toll to 1,084 while 1,919 fresh cases pushed the infection tally to 45,363, officials said.