Covid-19 claimed its first victim in Jamshedpur with a 71-year-old resident of Sonari succumbing to the disease in hospital amid heightened concerns of a sudden spike in the steel city that recorded as many as 15 new patients on Saturday.

East Singhbhum district civil surgeon R.N. Jha said the man, a resident of Khuntadih in Sonari, was suffering from multiple ailments. He was admitted to the Tata Main Hospital's Covid ward on Thursday after testing positive for Covid.

“The man died at 1pm. He had no travel history, but he was suffering from a number of chronic diseases since the past two years. He was subjected to a swab test after he complained of breathing problems,” Jha said, adding that the local administration set up a containment zone around his house located close to RMS School at Khuntadih.

The civil surgeon pointed out that as per rules, his body would be handed over to civic body of his residential area. Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee (JNAC) city manager Ravi Bharti said they would conduct the last rites and no one from his family would be allowed to attend as per norms.

"Presently, there is no one from the deceased's family to complete the paperwork at the Tata Main Hospital. The body has been kept at the hospital morgue. We will take the body and conduct the last rites after the completion f all formalities,” Bharti said.

The number of Covid-19 cases has seen a gradual rise in the last few days in the steel city with patients being reported from almost major localities. As of now, Jamshedpur has recorded 265 cases. The total number of cases in East Singhbhum district is 466.

Significantly, the first cases were emerging from rural belts of the district. These were primarily of people with a travel history. But now, most of the cases are being reported from within city limits.

On Friday, 16 new cases were recorded, 15 of which were from city localities, including much sought-after Bistupur. One case was from Potka block.

Tata Steel utilities firm Jusco had to shut down its billing section at Bistupur after one of its employees tested positive.

"We kept the billing section closed from 7am today after one of the staffers tested positive. She is a middle-aged woman who stays at Kadma," said Jusco's spokesperson Sukanya Das.