13 new cases in Jharkhand, tally soars from 200 to 303 in just 8 days

Ranchi/Jamshedpur: The number of Covid-19 cases in Jharkhand crossed the 300-mark with 13 patients — all of them have returned from other states — testing positive for the virus on Thursday.
In a concern for health officials, while it took 28 days for the state to record the first 100 patients and 17 days for the figure to touch 200, the last batch of 100 — of which 97 are migrant workers who have recently returned home — came in in just eight days. Palamu, however, achieved a feat by becoming Covid-free.
Meanwhile, nine coronavirus cases were reported from various districts around midnight on Wednedsay taking the day’s tally to 42 – by far the biggest single-day spike, surpassing the 22 recorded on May 14. One was a migrant who returned home in Chatra, which became the 21st of 24 districts to be affected by the new virus. The state total of Covid cases now stands at 303, of which 164 are active while 137 have recovered — including seven patients discharged in Palamu on Thursday – and two have died.
Of the 13 cases detected on Thursday, eight are from Ranchi, two each from Koderma and Seraikela and one from East Singhbhum. Of the eight cases in Ranchi, seven are migrants who have returned from Mumbai and are residents of Mandar and Chanho block. They were at institutional quarantine since their arrival.
The eighth patient, a 22-year-old Giridih resident, is likely to emerge as a concern for health officials. The man was in the state capital for the last six days for treatment at Medanta hospital and had come in contact with several health workers and the staff at a private lodge near the hospital. Talking to TOI, Ranchi DC Rai Mahimapat Ray said: “We have started a contact tracing exercise and sanitization of the area.” However, sources at hospital said the patient returned from Mumbai on May 13 and he concealed this information during screening at the hospital when he arrived for treatment on May 15. The patient consulted two senior doctors at the hospital on May 16 and 17 and has also went for an X-ray and some pathological tests.
“The patient returned from Mumbai on May 13 and he visited the hospital on May 15. He visited OPD on three days, exposing several frontline workers to the risk of infection. He also came in contact with many others at the lodge and the cafeteria,” said a source at Medanta.
Health department officials said, “Koderma and Seraikela detected two positive cases each on Thursday and all are migrants. In East Singhbhum, a resident of Dumariyta with a travel history to Tamil Nadu tested positive,” officials said.
On Wednesday midnight, nine persons with travel history to different parts of country had tested positive. Chatra DC Jitendra Kumar Singh said, “The patient had returned from Mumbai. We have sealed his village and are conducting a contact-tracing and sanitization drive.”
Apart from Chatra, four persons tested positive from East Singhbhum and one each from Dhanbad and Giridih late on Wednesday night. Giridih detected three cases and Dhanbad one on Wednesday night and all four were migrants who had returned from Mumbai and Surat in the last four days.