As many as 3,640 cops, including three SPs, have been found Covid-positive in Jharkhand so far and seven of them could not survive the infection, officials from the police headquarters in Ranchi said on Tuesday.

As per figures with the police headquarters, drivers account for more than 60 per cent of the total Covid cases reported in the police department. At least 2,463 of the 3,640 infected policemen were drivers, officials said.

Constables form the largest ratio of infected cops after drivers. As per police data, at least 408 constables, 118 grade four staff and 49 Home Guard personnel have tested positive for Covid-19 in Jharkhand so far, forcing the department to take precautionary measures to prevent further spread of the virus among cops and commoners who come in contact with policemen.

IG (provision) Suman Gupta said that instructions had been given to all SPs to ensure proper treatment of the infected cops. “We have set up a dedicated isolation centre for policemen in Ranchi’s Visthapit Colony, where their health is regularly monitored. These policemen are also served nutritious food and administered medicines regularly,” said Gupta, who is the spokesperson for Jharkhand police.

Several police stations across the state, including five in Ranchi alone, were sealed since June after cops started testing positive for the SARS-COV-2 virus. The first policeman to die of Covid-19 infection was a 50-year-old sub-inspector from Jharkhand Armed Police (JAP) in Ranchi, who was diabetic. Since his death on July 26, the police department has lost six more personnel to the virus.

“There is no officer ranked personnel among the seven policemen who died of the viral infection,” said Gupta, adding that all the deceased were above 40 and suffered from some or the other comorbidities.

There are more than 1 lakh policemen in Jharkhand, and the department has kept a team of cops in reserve to perform the duties of those who are infected. “Our men are working in the field every day and getting infected while performing their duty. We are taking all necessary steps to minimise the spread of the coronavirus among policemen on duty as staying at home is not an option for us,” said Gupta.

As per data with the police department, the recovery rate among cops is better than Jharkhand’s all-round Covid recovery rate of 67.56 per cent. Out of the 3,640 cops who were infected, at least 2,761 have recovered and not reported any symptoms of a relapse or subsequent ailments. There were 872 active cases of infection in the department when this report was filed on Tuesday.

In wake of the rapidly growing infection in the police department, the government had on July 13 sanctioned Rs 33 lakh to buy protective gear for policemen on duty. All policemen in Ranchi and other major cities of Jharkhand were provided with face shields, which provides better protection than masks, officials said.