96 more Covid cases in Bihar, tally rises to 1,519

PATNA: With 96 people, including 14 women, testing positive for the Covid-19 virus on Tuesday, the total number of cases went up to 1,519 in the state. One ofthe cases was reported from Pandarak in Patna .
Altogether 534 people have recovered from the virus infection so far, while the number of active cases stood at 976 and nine persons have died. Total 40 patients were discharged from various hospitals in the past 24 hours after they tested negative.
On Tuesday, new Covid- 19 positive cases were reported from 14 districts across the state.Jehanabad reported the highest number of cases at 3, followed by 14 in Begusarai, four in Aurangabad, three each in Arwal, Gaya, Nawada and Supaul, two each in Buxar, Sheikhpura, Madhepura and Bhagalpur and one each in Patna and Samastipur.
Sanjay Kumar, principal secretary (health), told this newspaper on Tuesday that most of the Covid-19 patients are migrants who came from other states by special trains. “To expedite the testing of samples in Bihar, we are purchasing Cobas, a fully automated high-end machine for performing RT- PCR tests for Covid-19,” he said.
He added: “The machine would likely come by May 20 at Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences (RMRI), Patna. The daily testing capacity would increase to 2,500. It will take 2- 3 days to set up this machine.”
The health department is also planning to set up RT-PCR labs at Anugrah Narayan Medical College and Hospital (ANMMCH), Gaya, Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur Medical College and Hospital, Madhepura, Vardhman Institute of Medical sciences, Pawapuri and Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH), Patna. Sanjay said these testing facilities would begin functioning by May- end.
Meanwhile, two new cases were reported from Barh and Pandarak, taking the number of Covid-19 positive cases in Patna district to 168.
Patna DM Kumar Ravi said as of now 49 people have been sent home after their third result of samples tested negative. “There are 117 active cases in the district and so far, two deaths have been reported,” he added.
According to health officials, 50,563 samples have been tested till Tuesday afternoon and the results of more than 3,000 samples are pending. Around 754 positive cases were reported after May 3 after migrants from other states started arriving. So far, 1,400 samples of migrants have been collected of which 4-5% have tested positive.