Covid tally nears 60,000 in Bihar, toll up to 336

PATNA: The state’s Covid-19 tally rose to 59,567 on Monday with 2,297 more people testing positive for the virus. Patna district, where 293 people were tested positive on Monday, alone accounts for over 10,000 cases in the state.
With 14 official deaths on Monday, Covid toll in the state has reached 336. The victims included two people from Patna – one from Rajapur Pul and another from Kankarbagh.Altogether 38,508 people have so far recovered in the state and active cases stood at 20,721 on Monday.
Number of tests has more than doubled in the state in the last few days. As per the health department, 36,524 samples were tested in the past 24 hours. Positivity rate in the state came down to 6.28% on Monday. On July 27, when 14,236 samples were tested, the state had registered 2,192 new Covid-19 cases and the positivity rate then was 15.39%.
According to the health department, four deaths each were reported from Patna and Nalanda on Monday, taking the toll in these districts to 49 and 20, respectively. Munger reported two deaths and Gaya, Lakhisarai, Samastipur and Vaishali districts one death each on Monday.
At Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH), two Covid patients, including a 50-year-old woman from Rajapur Pul, died on Monday. NMCH epidemiologist-cum-nodal officer (reporting cell) Dr Mukul Kumar Singh said the woman was admitted to the hospital on August 1 and died of cardiac arrest. Another deceased was a 50-year-old man from Bara under Naubatpur police station. He too died of cardiac arrest.
Five deaths were officially registered at AIIMS-Patna in the last 24 hours, the hospital’s Covid-19 incharge Dr Sanjeev Kumar said. The victims included CPI’s state secretary Satya Narain Singh (77), who died on Sunday. The other victims were a 74-year-old man from Kankarbagh, a 43-year-old man from Dulhin Bazar in Patna, a 63-year-old man from Gaya and a 77-year-old man from Bhojpur.
As per the health department, 293 fresh Covid-19 cases were reported in Patna on Monday, taking the tally to 10,117. However, with 6421 recoveries and 49 deaths, active cases in the district stood at 347.
Other districts which reported large number of Covid-19 cases on Monday included Katihar (137), Begusarai (130), Vaishali (115), East Champaran (96), Madhubani (95), Gaya (91) and Saharsa (90).