The Election Commission on Saturday announced the dates for the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur amid the third wave of the Covid-19 in the country. Conducting elections in these states is a big challenge amid the increasing pace of the epidemic.
In the last 24 hours, 1,41,986 new cases of Covid-19 have been reported. The positivity rate in the country has also increased up to 9.28 per cent. Experts say that new cases will be at their peak in February. Let us tell you the current situation of Covid-19 in five electoral states-
1.) Uttar Pradesh:-
In Uttar Pradesh, cases have been doubled within three days. On Wednesday, 2,036 cases were reported in the state, which increased to 4,223 on Friday. No death was reported of covid on Wednesday and Thursday, while on Friday one person succumbed to infection. At present there are 17.23 lakh cases in the state and 22, 918 people have lost their lives. At present 12, 327 people are admitted to the hospital.
2.) Punjab:-
Till December 30, less than 100 cases were being reported in Punjab daily. However, on December 30, 166 cases were registered, since then the graph of cases has been increasing continuously. On January 4, 1,004 cases were registered and by 7 January, it increased to 2,874. At present, there are 6.13 lakh total cases in the state, 16,663 people have lost their lives and 9,425 people are admitted to the hospital.
3. Uttarakhand:-
Covid-19 has intensified in Uttarakhand, with daily cases reaching 1,000. Till December 20, the average number of reported cases was 15-20 and on December 31, 147 cases were registered and since then the number of cases has been increasing continuously. On Friday, 814 new cases were found, taking the total to 3.47 lakh. So far 7,423 people have lost their lives due to this and 2,022 people admitted to the hospital.
4. Goa:-
The situation in Goa has not worsened, yet. On 26 December, 25 new cases were reported which increased to 261 on 31 December. On Friday, the state reported 1,432 fresh cases. So far, there are 1.86 lakh cases in the state and 3,530 people have died 5,931 people are admitted to the hospital.
5. Manipur:-
The Covid-19 situation in Manipur is okay, on 31 December the state reported around 10 Covid cases, which increased to 59 on 6 January. The total reached 1.26 lakh, people, after the state witnessed 346 cases, today. So far, 2,009 people have lost their lives here due to the virus.
The vaccination rate in Punjab and UP is also a matter of concern. So far only 40 per cent of people in Punjab and 52 per cent in Uttar Pradesh have received both doses of the vaccine.