Nearly 1000 fresh cases of Covid-19 surfaced in Jharkhand on Sunday, taking the tally in the tribal state above 30,000, data released by the health department stated. As per government figures, Ranchi and East Singhbhum, the two worst-affected districts in the state, accounted for more than 40 per cent of the cases reported on Sunday.

At least 257 cases of Covid infection took the tally in Ranchi to 5680, while 146 fresh cases took the tally in East Singhbhum to 5088, stated a bulletin released by the National Health Mission (NHM) on Sunday late evening. As per figures with the health department, both these districts have more than 2000 active cases of SARS-COV-2 infection.

The notorious virus has not even spared VIPs and ministers in Jharkhand. State agriculture minister Badal Patralekh has become the third member of the Cabinet in Jharkhand to get infected by Covid-19. Patralekh was found infected on Saturday. State health minister Banna Gupta was found infected last week, while state drinking water and sanitation minister Mithilesh Thakur tested positive for the virus in July. At least four Jharkhand MLAs, including former minister CP Singh and AJSU Party chief, have also been infected by the virus so far.

East Singhbhum on Sunday reported five of the seven Covid deaths in Jharkhand, which took the toll in the district alone to 134. As per government data, as many as 318 people have died of Covid-19 in Jharkhand and nearly 40 per cent of the victims were from East Singhbhum – a district that boasts Steel City Jamshedpur and several industrial areas.

754 Covid patients recovered from the infection on Sunday, taking the state’s Covid recovery rate to 66.72 per cent, data released by the health department highlighted. Jharkhand’s Covid recovery rate had dropped below 35 per cent in July. However, it improved in the month of August and officials attributed the change in figures to better treatment. The national Covid recovery rate was 74.80 per cent by the time this report was filed.

Out of the 30,178 people who have been infected by the virus in Jharkhand, at least 20,136 have recovered, states government data. There were 9724 active cases of infection in Jharkhand at the time of filing of this report.

The government has so far collected 5.7 lakh swab samples and tested 5.6 lakh of them. On Sunday, 11,368 samples were tested and 967 of them came positive.