Jharkhand reported a single-day-spike of less than 500 cases on the second day in a row on Friday, while Covid recoveries outnumbered fresh cases, bringing the active caseload in the state below 7000, figures released by the health department highlighted.

As per a bulletin released by the National Health Mission (NHM), the active caseload in the state dropped to 6832 as at least 1170 Covid patients recovered from the infection while 478 people were found infected by Coronavirus. However, as many as 13 Covid patients died in the State on Friday, taking the Covid toll to 5034, the bulletin further stated.

With 102 cases East Singhbhum was the only district to report a triple-digit-spike. At least 40 people were found infected in Ranchi while as many as 43 residents were found infected by Coronavirus in Dhanbad.

Ranchi and East Singhbhum – the two districts with highest Covid casualties so far – reported three Covid deaths each on Friday. As per NHM data, the Covid toll in Ranchi jumped to 1569 on the day, while that in East Singhbhum reached 1017.

However, both these districts saw a drop in active caseload. At least 184 recoveries brought the active caseload down to 1,849 in Ranchi, while the active caseload dropped to 768 in East Singhbhum as at least 171 Covid patients recovered there.

Among other districts, Bokaro reported 23 cases against 37 recoveries, while Hazaribag reported 26 cases against 46 recoveries. Fourty two persons were found infected in Simdega while 62 Covid patients recovered there.

Jharkhand reported a daily Covid positivity rate of less than 1 per cent for the fourth consecutive day as less than 500 of 60,416 people tested were found infected. As per government data, the Covid growth rate in the state was 0.18 per cent against the national average of 0.34 per cent, while the recovery rate rose to 96.51 per cent against the national average of 93.10 per cent.

However, the Covid-19 fatality rate in Jharkhand continued to be higher than the national average. As per NHM data, at least 1.47 per cent of the over 3.40 lakh State residents infected by Coronavirus so far have died. The national Covid mortality rate, as per NHM data, was 1.20 per cent on Friday.

The state on Friday administered the first dose of vaccine against Covid-19 to 69,410 residents and almost 50,000 of them were in the age bracket of 18 years to 44 years. The second jab was administered to 6432 beneficiaries on the day, mostly commoners above the age of 45 years, stated a report from NHM.