Agra, Oct 6 (IANS): Even though Agra has been reporting new cases every day, the recovery rate is above 88 per cent, the state health data has revealed.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in a meeting on Monday evening expressed relief with the state achieving an 87 per cent recovery rate in its battle to combat Covid-19. Speaking at the meeting in Lucknow, Yogi said the state's recovery rate was three per cent more than the national recovery rate of 84 per cent.

Agra recorded 88.37 per cent recovery rate on Monday.

The total number of active cases was 570 now. The city reported 59 fresh cases in the last 24 hours. The number of samples collected now exceeds two lakh (2,01,945). Of the total 6,002 cases, the number of discharged patients is 5,304, while the death toll stands at 128, the health department data has revealed.

The health department has now decided to decentralise the sample collection process. Right now there are only two centres collecting samples. This results in crowding and violation of norms.

The administration now plans to open a dozen new sample collection centres and three have already started working. The cooperation of the corporators has been sought to bring people to the centres for sample testing. Doctors claim this would help break the chain of infections further.

Meanwhile, doctors said due to changing weather, there has been a sudden spurt in the number of patients with flu, viral fever, skin issues at the OPDs of the government hospitals.

The strike by the safai karamcharis of the Agra Municipal Corporation ended Monday evening. In the presence of armed cops, the corporation's trucks and dumpers lifted the garbage that had piled up everywhere due to the strike by the Balmiki Samaj protesting the Hathras tragedy.