28 test positive for COVID-19 in Bihar; total reaches 251

Bihar reported 28 fresh coronavirus cases on Saturday, raising the total number of patients in the state to 251, a top Health Department official said here.

According to Principal Secretary, Health, Sanjay Kumar, Patna district witnessed a rise with seven cases followed by Kaimur (6) and Buxar (5).

Three fresh cases were reported in Jamalpur town which had on Friday registered as many as 30 cases. Besides, the central Bihar district of Arwal reported its first case. Rohtas accounted for two cases, while Gaya, Bhojpur, Saran and Vaishali reported one case each.

Three residents of the Khajpura locality in the state capital tested positive in addition to as many from Beur on the outskirts of the city.

Contact tracing was on for the patients in Beur who were all females, with the youngest being eight-years-old.

Situated in the city's densely populated western corner, Khajpura has emerged as a hotspot where the infection chain started last week when a woman, who was admitted to AIIMS, Patna with breathing trouble, tested positive. Later on, a neighbour who happened to be her worker's husband also tested positive.

On Thursday, eight people in the locality were reported to be positive, all members of the same household including a girl under 10 years of age.

On Friday, a bank employee, who resides in Patel Nagar and works at a bank in the posh Dak Bungalow Road locality, had tested positive and it turned out that he had been in touch with vegetable sellers from Khajpura before the locality became a hotspot and was sealed.

Patel Nagar, where he lives, the entire street leading to his apartment was sealed, while all residents of the building were quarantined and their samples were being tested. Spraying of disinfectants was on in the area.

The district administration has ordered the closure of the bank branch where he worked as a cashier until further orders while contact tracing is on for those who might have come in touch with the patient.

Those who have tested positive in Kaimur include four police personnel, a 28-year-old woman and three men in the age group of 34-48 years. In addition, a 42-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy, both residents of Chainpur village, have tested positive.

Notably, Chainpur village was visited by an old woman from the adjoining Rohtas district earlier this month. The woman had come to the place of her married daughter where she fell ill and returned home where she was tested positive for COVID 19. This case left in its wake a chain of infection in Rohtas and Kaimur districts which together account for more than 20 active cases.

All the Buxar cases have been reported from Naya Bhojpur village, which falls under Dumraon sub division of the district. The infection chain here was triggered by two middle aged men who tested positive more than a week ago and had a travel history to Asansol in West Bengal where they had attended a Tablighi Jamaat congregation.

In Jamalpur, the three fresh cases raised the total number for Munger, the worst affected district in the state, to 65. One patient from the district has died while six have recovered.

Having a population of less than two lakhs, Jamalpur reported 30 patients its Sadar Bazar. The infection chain in the town has been traced to a 60-year-old vegetable seller who had travelled on foot to Nalanda district last month for taking part in a Tablighi Jamaat congregation.

Patna happens to be a distant second with 35 cases, including five recovered patients, followed closely by Nalanda (34) where three people have recovered.

Siwan has reported 30 cases, which includes 18 recovered patients.

Buxar holds the fourth spot with 29 cases, followed by Kaimur (19) and Rohtas (11). The respective numbers of cases in all other districts happen to be in a single digit.

Of the total 38 districts in the state, 21 have reported COVID cases. Only two of these, Gopalganj and Lakhisarai do not have any active case as of now.

Two persons have died one each from Munger and Vaishali districts, both men in their 30s.

The total number of samples tested so far is 15,885.