Cop in Lalu’s security tests +ve, state records 1 more death, 39 cases

Ranchi/Sindri: Four police personnel, including one deployed as RJD president Lalu Prasad’s security at Rims, tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday. With the four personnel, the state’s new cases on Monday stood at 39. One patient also died of the viral infection in Dhanbad.
Talking to TOI, Ranchi SDO Lokesh Mishra said, "Among the 10 fresh positive cases in Ranchi on Monday, four are policemen, including a constable who is deployed at the Rims paying ward in Lalu’s security detail. However, there is no risk of infection to Lalu as the constable was not on duty but was in his barracks after his return following a short leave."
Police said the constable had gone for leave around 10 days ago and as per protocol, his samples were collected for tests before he was allowed to join his duty. "We are conducting his contact-tracing at Sukhdev Nagar police station as the constable was staying at the Sukhdev Nagar police station after he returned on Sunday morning," sadar DSP Deepak Pandey said.
Meanwhile, Dhanbad district reported its first Covid-19 death after a 55-year-old woman passed away during treatment at PMCH on Monday morning.
"The woman had tested positive for the virus on Saturday after she was referred from a private nursing home. The deceased had multiple co-morbidities including asthma and cardiac ailments. She had recently returned after treatment at Christian Medical College and Hospital in Vellore. As per ICMR protocols on disposal of bodies, she was buried at a burial ground in Wasseypur," Dhanbad DC Amit Kumar said.
With the 39 fresh cases reported on Monday, the total number of cases in the state rose to 2,854 of which 2,068 have recovered and 766 are active. Twenty people have succumbed to the infection. East Singhbhum reported the highest number of fresh cases at 12 with Ranchi detecting 10 cases. Saraikela and Hazaribag detected four cases each while Chatra reported three cases. Koderma and Lohardaga detected two cases and Palamu and Latehar reported one each.
Among the 10 detected in Ranchi, four are policemen of whom three are from the Hindpiri police station. They were found positive after a contact-tracing exercise of a positive cop from the same station on July 3. Six of the remaining cases included two pregnant women from different nursing homes, three people from different localities and one from the military hospital at Namkum.
In Lohardaga, two cases were detected including a top health official of the district.