323 new COVID-19 cases take UP's tally to 5,98,445; death toll 8,609

The COVID-19 death toll in Uttar Pradesh rose to 8,609 on Saturday with four more fatalities, while 323 new cases pushed the infection tally to 5,98,445, an official statement issued here said.

Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Chandauli and Bahraich recorded one death each, it said.On January 18, the state had recorded four COVID-19 fatalities, the lowest in over six months.Of the new cases, 40 were reported from Lucknow, the UP government said in a statement on Saturday.In the past 24 hours, as many as 513 COVID-19 patients recovered from the infection, taking the overall recoveries to 5,82,506.

The recovery rate stands at 97.34 per cent, UP's Additional Chief Secretary (Medical and Health) Amit Mohan Prasad said.The count of active COVID-19 cases in the state stands at 7,330.

In the last 24 hours, over 1.22 lakh samples were tested, while so far more than 2.69 crore tests have been conducted in the state, the statement said.