The Covid-19 patient's confession that he had come out of his isolation ward at the Hazaribagh Medical College and Hospital (HMCH) thrice to have tea and litti-chokha has spurred a mammoth screening exercise.

Around 5.5 lakh people will be screened by April 12, Hazaribagh deputy commissioner (DC) Bhuvnesh Pratap Singh said on Tuesday.

The DC said they had formed teams for door-to-door survey in four blocks as well as in 11 wards under Hazaribagh Municipal Corporation.

The man, who used to work with a transport company in Asansol, Bengal, had hitchhiked to Hazaribagh via Dhanbad on a truck on March 29. As he had mild fever, he went to the Vishnugarh health centre for a check-up the next day. On March 30 evening, he was sent to the isolation ward at HMCH.

He went out for snacks and tea on March 30, 31 and April 1, following the same routine of tea at Jhanda Chowk and litti-chokha at a restaurant near the hospital. On April 3, his sample tested positive. The next day, he told officials he had ventured out.

The DC said the truck the patient boarded had people from places like Barhi, Barkatha and Chouparan blocks of Hazaribagh. So people of these blocks as well as Sadar block, which overlaps with the 11 municipal wards, will be screened.

Singh said that 102 teams will screen 1.5 lakh people in Barhi, 270 teams will screen 1.94 lakh people in Chouparan and 149 teams will screen 60,000 people in the 11 wards. The team for Barkatha will be formed soon, he said. Eight teams will screen Gadokhar village close to town; an HMCH employee lives there.

Singh praised the doctors, nurses and ward boys at HMCH. “It is because of them that the Covid-19 patient is improving by the day.”

In-charge of the district control room, Samira,urged people to contact on 9304958736 if they exhibit any symptoms of Covid-19.