The weekly positivity rate and fresh cases of Covid-19 have doubled in the past one month, indicating a steep rise in the coronavirus trajectory in Jharkhand during the festive season, figures compiled by the health department highlighted on Thursday.

As per weekly data calculated by the health department, as many as 78 people were found infected by SARS-CoV-2 virus in Jharkhand from September 20 to September 26. The count of fresh Covid cases reported in the state jumped to 197 in the period between October 18 to October 24, government data further revealed, indicating a more than two-fold spike in weekly Covid cases.

The positivity rate too rose from 0.03 per cent in the period between September 20 to September 26 to 0.07 per cent in the days between October 18 to October 24. Jharkhand tested as many as 3,09,744 swab samples for Covid-19 from September 20 to September 26, while 2,67,125 samples were tested from October 18 to October 24.

The positivity rate as well as the count of fresh cases rose most significantly in Ranchi in the past one month, government data revealed. Ranchi alone accounted for 42 of to 78 Covid cases reported from September 20 to September 26, and 129 of the 197 cases reported from October 18 to October 24. The positivity rate here jumped from 0.10 per cent in the last week of September to 0.27 per cent from October 18 to October 24.

“Ranchi has reported the bulk of fresh Covid cases in the past one month. The positivity rate has also increased in the district, which could be a concern if Covid protocols are not followed sincerely in the days to come,” said state epidemiologist Dr Praveen Kumar Karn.

Despite the rise in cases, the fatality rate was zero per cent in Jharkhand during the period between October 18 to October 24. Experts believe that vaccination against Covid-19 may have played an important role in saving lives of people who got infected recently.

“There have been cases where vaccinated individuals have tested positive for Covid-19. But they did not suffer from severe symptoms and recovered without hospitalization,” said Ranchi civil surgeon Dr Vinod Kumar.

As per government data, over 1.43 crore residents have received at least one dose of the Covid vaccine in Jharkhand so far, while close to 50 lakhs of them have also received the second dose. The active Covid caseload in the state, as per government data, was 162 on Thursday morning.