Amid an alarming rise in Covid cases and an influx of migrant labourers from most of the surge tates, the Jharkhand government has set a target of testing at least 1.25 lakh people, especially travelers, by April 22 in a special Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) drive, the health department said on Monday.

In a letter to deputy commissioners of all 24 districts, health secretary K.K. Soan asked various district administrations to prioritise testing of elderly and vulnerable travelers who arrived in the state recently and ensure RT PCR tests for symptomatic travelers if they test negative in rapid tests.

As a part of the drive, the health secretary also warned of a possible increase in the number of patients and asked district officials to arrange beds in hospitals and other isolation centres for those in need of medical attention.

A document released by the health department highlighted that the state aims to conduct at least 15,000 tests in Ranchi and 11,000 tests in East Singhbhum – two of the worst-affected districts in terms of caseload and fatalities. Besides, the Dhanbad administration has been asked to conduct 6,500 tests while Bokaro has been asked to test at least 7,000 people during the drive.

Jharkhand has reported an unprecedented rise in Covid cases and fatalities in the past couple of weeks. The second wave of the virus has not only taken the growth rate of infection in the state above the national average, but also reduced the doubling rate below the national average.

Special trains carrying migrants from Maharashtra have started entering Jharkhand, increasing chances of a further spike in cases in the state, health officials said on Monday. Many workers have dodged mandatory Covid tests at railway stations, further increasing the fear of transmission in the villages they visit.

As per government data, Jharkhand has been reporting close to 4,000 Covid cases and around 50 deaths every day on an average during the past one week. While the testing rate has been intensified in the state, many labs are still failing to provide Covid test reports within 48 hours – a trend that is causing delay in identification of cases and subsequent medical intervention.

Jharkhand has also run out of life-saving drugs needed for treatment of Covid patients and is exploring the international market to import medicines.