12 test positive for coronavirus in a day in Bihar, CM urges people not to hide travel history

Bihar was rattled by a spurt in COVID-19 cases on Thursday as 12 persons tested positive and the total number crossed 50, even as Chief Minister Nitish Kumar urged people not to hide their travel history and help his government in its fight against the pandemic.

Of the 12 fresh cases, 10 were reported from Siwan district -- all but one from the same family in Raghunathpur block, which has been sealed by the local administration and from where close to 100 samples have been collected and rushed to the state capital for testing.

The nine cases from Raghunathpur are a 10-year-old boy, two girls aged 12 years, five women aged between 20 and 50 years and a man in his 30s.

According to Principal Secretary, Health, Sanjay Kumar, all of them caught the contagion from a COVID-19 patient who had travelled to Oman.

Besides, another 36-year-old male resident of the district with a travel history to Dubai tested positive.

The remaining two cases, both teenage boys, have been reported from Begusarai. Both are residents of the Teghra block and believed to have contracted the infection from two boys in the same age group, who tested positive for the disease on Tuesday.

According to Begusarai District Magistrate Arvind Kumar Verma, none of the four boys was known to have any recent travel history but they were said to have been interacting with clerics at a local mosque. Their samples were collected after the village head informed the police a few days ago that they had developed COVID-19 symptoms.

Verma did not rule out the possibility of a connection with the Tablighi Jamaat, which has been blamed for a large number of COVID-19 cases across the country and the Delhi headquarter of which has emerged as a coronavirus hotspot and therefore, sealed by the authorities.

In Nawada, where a man with a travel history to Delhi tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, District Magistrate Yashpal Meena said information has been sought from the national capital as to whether the 38-year-old had taken part in the Tablighi Jamaat congregation last month.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar issued a fervent appeal to the people of the state not to hide their travel history and said doing so could put coronavirus patients, their near and dear ones, and the society at large at risk.

At a meeting in which he reviewed the COVID-19 situation in the state, the chief minister called for an intensive screening of the places coronavirus patients might have come in contact with, and following of full medical protocol in the areas identified as coronavirus hotspots.

He also instructed officials to speed up the process of tracing and testing the contacts of the patients.

Kumar also reiterated the need for maintaining social distancing under all circumstances and hoped that while paying tributes to Jesus Christ on the eve of Good Friday, people would stay at home as far as possible and take necessary precautions.

According to a release issued by the state health department, of the 51 cases confirmed in Bihar so far, 17 have recovered while one patient has died.

Siwan has reported 20 cases so far and tops the list of the affected districts. Munger and Patna have reported seven and five cases respectively but are now left with no active case.

Bordering Uttar Pradesh, Siwan is known for sending a large number of people to middle east for employment.

One patient from Munger, a 38-year-old man with a travel history to Qatar, died of renal failure on March 22, a day before test reports confirmed that he was COVID-19 positive.

Three hospitals in the state -- one each in Patna, Bhagalpur and Gaya -- have been dedicated for the treatment of coronavirus patients.

Testing of samples is taking place at four facilities -- Patna-based ICMR centre RMRI, medical college hospitals IGIMS and PMCH and the Darbhanga-based DMCH.