Eighty more people succumbed to COVID-19 in Bihar since Wednesday causing its death toll to surge past the 3,000-mark while more than 15,000 people tested positive for the dreaded coronavirus during the period.
According to the state health department, Patna recorded 3,665 fresh cases, its biggest single-day spike, which also resulted in the worst affected district of Bihar’s active caseload to reach an alarming 21,704.
Total number of active cases across the state stood at 1.15 lakhs.
The district, where the state capital is situated, also accounted for 29 of the fresh casualties and its death toll now stands at 891, more than a quarter of the states aggregate of 3,077.
Out of the 40 districts across the state, Patna has so far been the only one to have reported confirmed cases in excess of one lakh.
Total number of confirmed cases in the district so far has been 1.18 lakh, which is more than 20 per cent of Bihars total of 5.53 lakhs.
On the flip side, though, 4.35 lakh people have so far recovered after being infected by the coronavirus, the states recovery rate stood at 78.65 per cent.
There has been a steep decline in the recovery rate since about a month ago when it was more than 90 per cent.
This has been on account of the galloping rate at which fresh incidences have been reported during the second wave.
Consequently, the states active caseload has shot up by more than 50 times in about a month, leading to harsh measures like a complete lockdown that came into force on the previous day and will remain in place till May 15.
Many prominent personalities, including the then chief secretary Arun Kumar Singh and additional secretary, health, Ravi Shankar Chaudhary have died in the past one month after getting infected with COVID-19.
Meanwhile, at a high-level meeting conducted through video conferencing, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar asked officials to ensure job creation for labourers, including those who have returned to their home state from far-off places.
