The Health Department on Wednesday collected samples of 17 Coronavirus suspects in Jharkhand taking the total number of samples collected in Jharkhand for COVID-19 tests to 110, a press communiqué from the National Health Mission (NHM) said.
The State, at present, has two sample collection centres – Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi and Mahatma Gandhi Memorial (MGM) Hospital in Jamshedpur. Out of the 17 samples collected on Wednesday, nine have tested negative, and the test results of the remaining eight samples are awaited, health officials said.
Doctors and health workers in Jharkhand have by now collected samples of 110 Coronavirus suspects and 102 of them have tested negative. Despite no positive case of Coronavirus reported in the tribal State, the Government has enforced a strict lockdown and asked people to stay indoors.
Hemant Soren-led Jharkhand Government has prohibited the entry of passenger trains and buses in the State to prevent the entry of the virus here. Besides, all domestic flights to Ranchi have also been cancelled till April 14.Around 641 positive cases of Coronavirus were reported in India by the time this report was filed on Wednesday. The death toll in the country rose to 11 on Wednesday. More than 500 people in Jharkhand were under observation by Tuesday amid Coronavirus fear.
The NHM, however, did not compile the figures of Jharkhand residents under observation on Wednesday, sources said. The figure is likely to be around 600, they added. Around 150 people in the State have passed the quarantine period of 28 days and not shown any symptoms, officials from NHM said.
The lethal virus by Wednesday evening infected nearly 4.5 lakh people across the globe and claimed more than 19,000 lives. In India, the number of patients infected by Coronavirus increased from 519 on Tuesday to 641 by the time this report was filed on Wednesday. The death toll in India increased from nine to 11 in 24 hours. The virus was first reported in China, and within a few months, it wreaked havoc in European countries, especially Italy and Spain. Doctors fear that if the virus reaches a level of community spread in India, it may claim several thousand lives and prove to be catastrophic.
All Government hospitals in the State have set up Isolation Wards to treat patients infected by the virus. Meanwhile, the administrations in each of 24 districts are screening several hundred travelers every day. The Government is also providing ration at door steps to ensure that people of Jharkhand remain indoors during the 21-day lockdown.