More than half of the total Covid-19 cases reported in Jharkhand on Friday were from Ranchi, figures compiled by the state health department revealed. However, after reporting a rise in the number of active cases of Covid-19 infection for three consecutive days, Ranchi witnessed a marginal drop in the count of active cases as recoveries outnumbered fresh cases of infection here.

At least 94 of the 174 fresh cases of infection surfacing in Jharkhand on the day were reported from Ranchi, a bulletin released by the National Health Mission (NHM) highlighted. The Covid-19 death toll increased to 995 after two more patients succumbed to the disease, he said.

Meanwhile, two more Covid-19 patients, one each from Hazaribagh and Bokaro, died during treatment on Friday, taking the Covid toll in the state up at 995, figures with the NHM stated. Thursday’s casualties take the Covid mortality rate in the state to 0.89 per cent against the national average of 1.50 per cent.

Ranchi district registered the maximum number of fresh cases at 93, followed by Bokaro (20) and Dhanbad (12).

The government on Thursday tested swab samples of 18,344 people and less than 1 per cent of them were found infected. So far, health workers in Jharkhand have collected swab samples of 44.51 lakh people and tested 44.33 lakh of them. Around 18,000 swab samples were still pending for tests by the end of Friday.

Jharkhand now has 1,694 active coronavirus cases, while 1,08,488 people have been cured of the disease so far, the official said.

The state has tested 23,253 samples for Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, he added.