Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], July 23 (ANI): As many as 2,529 new COVID-19 cases were recorded in Uttar Pradesh in the last 24 hours, an official said.

Addressing a press conference here, Uttar Pradesh Principal Health Secretary Amit Mohan Prasad said that the total number of active cases in the state now stands at 21,003.

Also Read | Oil Well Fire at Baghjan in Assam: Oil India Says Survey to Assess Damage Underway, Total 1906 Families Surveyed So Far in Tinsukia and Doomdooma.

"A total of 35,803 people have been discharged after recovering from the disease. The death toll is at 1,298," he said.

Prasad said that 54,897 samples were tested yesterday and overall 16,54,651 samples have been tested so far.

Also Read | India, Israel to Conduct 'Unprecedented' Anti-COVID19 Cooperation Operation: Live News Breaking and Coronavirus Updates on July 23, 2020.

At King George's Medical University (KGMU), Lucknow, out of the 4213 samples tested yesterday for COVID-19, 319 have tested positive.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has given directions to increase the testing capacity.

"At present, the state has achieved testing capacity of 55 thousand tests per day, there is a need to increase it further," he said.

He said that emphasis should be given on increasing the 20,000 rapid antigen tests daily to 50,000. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)