Conduct more tests to curb virus spread: CM Nitish Kumar

PATNA: Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Friday asked health officials to increase the number of RT-PCR tests across the state to check the further spread of Covid-19 virus.
While holding a review meeting on Covid-19 with health officials and district magistrates through video conferencing, the CM also asked officials to ensure availability of more RT-PCR machines so that the testing speed could be ramped-up.
Making a presentation on the Covid-19 scenario before the CM, the health department principal secretary Pratyay Amrit said, “A 500-bed Covid hospital at Bihta would become functional from August 23. He said this hospital is coming up with PM Cares fund. A similar hospital would soon become functional at Muzaffarpur as well.”
Amrit further informed the CM that the first Covas-8000 machine would arrive in the state by September 3. It would increase the number of RT-PCR tests by 3,600 per day.
The principal secretary also informed the CM that around 1.15 lakh tests per day were being conducted in the state to detect maximum possible cases.
“Till August 7, a total of 8.3 lakh samples for Covid-19 were tested. Today, the number of samples tested has risen to 22.3 lakh. Similarly, on August 7, the recovery rate in the state was 64.4%. Today, this recovery has risen to 78.05%, which is 4% more than the national recovery rate (74.3%),” Amrit told the CM at the review meeting.
He also informed that 13 districts, out of total 38, have reported more than 10% positivity rate. The CM further asked officials to keep updating the data related to Covid-19 and chalk strategies as per the findings of such data.
The DMs of Begusarai, Muzaffarpur, Saharsa, Bhagalpur, Patna, Madhubani and East Champaran also made presentations about the status of Covid-19 in their districts and the steps being taken to check the spread of infection.