According to officials, the number of active Covid cases crossed the three-figure mark as the state reported 104 active cases after 94 days on Saturday . The last time it reported 100 active cases was on March 10.
Ruchir Kumar/Aditya Nath Jha, PATNA: With Bihar showing a rise in Covid-19 cases once again, a minister in the Nitish Kumar Cabinet tested positive for Covid-19 on Saturday, said government officials.
According to officials, the number of active Covid cases crossed the three-figure mark as the state reported 104 active cases after 94 days on Saturday . The last time it reported 100 active cases was on March 10.
Patna saw the first spike in 108 days as it reported 27 new cases of a total 44 on Saturday, taking the total number of Covid-19 positive cases to 8,30,934 since the state reported its first case of the pandemic at AIIMS in Patna on March 21, 2020. Of the total cases, 8,18,573 had recovered, with a recovery rate of 98.51%, while 12,256 have died so far due to the virus, as per official data of the state health health department.
Purnia and Saharsa divisions, comprising seven districts, have no active cases. Purnia civil surgeon Dr. S K Verma said that testing and vaccination are going on in tandem in the district. He also appealed to the people to follow proper Covid guidelines.
The minister, who is the latest among the public representatives in the state to have been infected by the Sars CoV-2 virus, had last visited Bettiah on June 8 to attend a women’s empowerment programme and returned to the state capital on June 10. She developed symptoms of Covid-19, like soreness of the throat and fever, prompting the minister to get herself tested first on the rapid antigen kit, and then she opted for an RT PCR test. In both the tests, she tested positive.
The minister said she has isolated herself at her official residence in Patna on the advice of doctors. “I have tested positive for Covid-19 with symptoms. I am under home quarantine. I have requested everyone who came to my contact to isolate and undergo tests,” she said.
Several ministers, including the Bihar chief minister, had been infected by the virus during the second and third waves of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the state health department has asked its officials to intensify testing in light of the recent spike in Covid-19 cases across the country, especially in the states of Maharashtra, Kerala, Delhi, and Karnataka.
India has noticed an upsurge in cases in the last two weeks, said a letter by the Union health secretary, Rajesh Bhushan, to heads of the health department in states and union territories (UTs) on June 9.
As many as 4,207 average daily new cases were reported in the week ending June 8, as compared to 2,663 average daily cases in the week ending June 1. The weekly positivity rate had also increased from 0.63% (week ending June 1) to 1.12% (week ending June 8), the letter said.
