Jharkhand: Two deaths, 289 new infections; active Covid-19 cases soar past recovery figure

DHANBAD/RANCHI: Even though Covid testing numbers fell significantly due to the closure of the state’s biggest microbiology lab at Rims, all 24 districts in Jharkhand on Saturday reported new Covid cases for the first time since the start of the outbreak.Jharkhand reported two casualties -- both from Dhanbad – and 289 cases in 24 hours (including 14 from East Singhbhum, which usually releases data very late in the night, late on Friday). On Saturday, Jharkhand conducted less than 3,800 Covid tests, far lesser than than the 6,000-odd tests it carried out on Thursday.
The total number of coronavirus cases in Jharkhand has risen to 5,385, of which 2,681 are active, 2,656 have recovered and 48 have succumbed to the pathogen. On Saturday, Ranchi recorded 61 new infections, East Singhbhum 42 Latehar 24, Giridih 23, Depghar 18, Chatra 17, Dhanbad 14 and Koderma 12. The remaining districts recorded new cases in single digits.
Meanwhile, Dhanbad MP P N Singh (BJP) – whose son’s 39-year-old driver is one of the Covid casualties recorded on Saturday -- slammed the district administration for its failure in providing timely results of Covid-19 samples collected by district administration. The coal capital has nine casualties so far -- all of them in the last two weeks.
Singh’s house has been sealed by district administration after several members of his family and staff tested positive for Covid-19. Singh demanded the district administration to speed up the process of testing so that test results are made available within a day.
The second casualty is a 70-year-old man admitted to ACN Jalan Hospital on July 14. "The 39-year-old man’s condition deteriorated on Saturday morning and he was having breathing issues. The 70-year-old male had several co-morbidities," said a district administration official.
Singh said: "The swab sample of our driver had come four days after sample collection and the patient’s condition deteriorated before the results came in. Had the test report been given on time his life could have been saved."
Dhanbad IDSP nodal officer Dr Jafarullah and civil surgeon Dr Gopal Das did not respond to several calls and texts from TOI.