Lucknow, July 31: Over 40 COVID-19 patients went missing in eastern Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur district. The lapse was reported on Friday, amidst a surge in coronavirus cases across the state. The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Ghazipur has sought the district administration's aid to trace the missing the patients.

The CMO of Ghazipur wrote a letter to Additional District Magistrate, informing him that 42 persons whose swabs were collected for COVID-19 testing could not be traced. They are neither at hospitals or isolation wards nor at their homes, the medical officer said. India's COVID-19 Tally Crosses 16-Lakh Mark With Highest Single-Day Spike of 55,079 Cases And 779 Deaths in Past 24 Hours.

According to reports, the patients registered incorrect mobile numbers and wrong addresses of their homes when their samples were collected for testing. After the reports came out as positive, the authorities were not able to trace them.

Update by ANI

Uttar Pradesh, over the past five days, has been reporting more than 3,000 COVID-19 cases. The transmission of virus to villages and lesser-inhabited district remains a challenging concern, as it has raised the speculations of community transmission. The UP government has so far denied the possibility of community spread in the state. The cumulative toll of infections in the state stood at 77,334, including 1,530 deaths.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 31, 2020 06:32 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).