The state health department has started administering time-tested medicinal herbs as immunity booster doses to the occupants of quarantine centres to try and contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Principal secretary health Nitin Madan Kulkarni said an Ayurvedic immunity booster soup prepared by the Ayush unit in Gumla is being provided to those kept in quarantine centres across Jharkhand.

As many as 87,100 (as of Sunday) people have been kept at the quarantine centres across the state.

Old Professional Flat in Kadma, Jamshedpur, on Monday. Picture by Bhola Prasad

“The four main ingredients of the immunity booster soup are basil, cinnamon, dry ginger and peppercorn. Consuming the concoction two to three times daily can boost immunity as they have many medicinal properties that can act as a shield against viral infections,” Kulkarni said.

Sources in the integrated diseases surveillance programme office of the state said besides immunity boosters, doses of vitamin and zinc were also being provided to those at the quarantine centres.

“There are more than 44,000 institutional quarantine centres across the state and the respective districts have been asked to arrange the immunity booster as well as vitamin doses for those staying in the quarantine centres for a period of 14 days as they are in the high risk group,” said a senior official in the state surveillance unit overseeing Covid-19 measures.

“The chief minister has directed all the 24 deputy commissioners to regularly monitor whether the booster doses were being given at the quarantine centres. This apart, an awareness campaign is being carried out at the grassroots level through village mukhiya, anganwadi sevikas, sahiyas, village watchman, school committees and teachers to make people aware of the Covid-19 infection and steps to prevent contracting the infection,” a source at the CM secretariat said.

The CM secretariat also confirmed that the immunity booster soup will be made available to the labourers returning from other states.

“These immunity boosters can help in maintaining good health and in the coming days, this Ayurvedic dose will also be made available to all the labourers and other people at the Covid care and quarantine centres. We also plan to give this dose to employees at government and private offices” the source added.

Jharkhand has a 1.08 per cent mortality rate (as on|Sunday) and 40 per cent recovery rate from Covid-19.