The Bokaro administration will develop more Covid-19 care centres in Bermo and Chas with the number of active cases in the district reaching 800.

The total number of beds in the district will go up from 400 to 900 after the care centres are established.

While a 250-bed Covid-19 care centre will become functional at the new Bermo block office this week, another 250-bed isolation centre will come up in Chas in the coming weeks.

There are more than 200 micro-containment zones in the district.

Currently, most of the beds are in the Chas subdivision, including the 100-bed Covid-19 care centre near the Sadar hospital, 90-bed Covid ward at Bokaro General Hospital (BGH) and 110 beds in a few private hospitals.

The Bermo subdivision has only a 100-bed care centre in Jainamoad, which is not operational yet.

Civil surgeon Dr A.K. Pathak said the Jainamoad facility was almost ready and would become operational by Monday.

“People who test positive in Bermo will be admitted there. In Chas, the institutional isolation centre will be made functional later this month,” he said.

Deputy commissioner Rajesh Kumar Singh Telegraph picture

The district health department is segregating patients according to their symptoms. The symptomatic or serious patients are being admitted to BGH while asymptomatic patients are being sent to care centres run by the health department.

Approval for quarantining at home is being provided by deputy commissioner Rajesh Kumar Singh after an assessment.

The next few days may witness a bigger spike in cases as the administration plans large testing drives. However, the administration feels the number of beds is enough. “Many people are getting released every day. Currently, the number of available beds is sufficient in accommodating patients. But we are keeping ourselves prepared for any spike in cases,” Singh said.

On Sunday morning, the number of positive patients was 2,059. Of them, 800 are active. There have been 16 deaths so far.