SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, June 3: The sudden appearance of new Covid-19 cases in the district after one month has rattled the Dhanbad health department.
In the last two days (till Thursday evening), two new Covid cases have surfaced in the RT-PCR tests at Shahid Nirmal Mahto Medical College Hospital (SNMMCH). One patient is admitted to the Covid ward of Jamadoba Hospital of Tata Steel Jharia division while another is in home isolation.
With these two infected persons, the total active cases in Dhanbad have reached three. The third patient is admitted to SNMMCH. Last month, a Covid patient (cancer affected) of Jharia died in the Jamdoba Hospital.
Integrated Diseases Surveillance Programme (IDSP) nodal officer of the district Dr RajKumar Singh said that both the patients are under the monitoring of the health department. The department has ordered contact tracing of both patients to stop the infection from spreading further.
Dr Singh said that both the affected persons came to Dhanbad from Covid affected states and were found positive in the test conducted by the health department. “In wake of the Panchayat elections, the candidates had called their relatives and supporters living in Delhi, Mumbai and other places in large numbers. A few of them might have carried the infection to Dhanbad as the infected persons have been identified as outsiders,” said the IDSP nodal officer.
Official sources of SNMMCH lab said that not only in Dhanbad, but Covid cases have also been reported from Bokaro district. Bokaro health department has sent the samples for confirmation of infection in the RTPCR test.
“Since the reports of rising Covid cases are coming from Mumbai and other states, we have intensified sample collection in Dhanbad. 600 to 700 samples are being collected every day in the suspected areas of the district and are duly sent for RTPCR test at the medical college lab,” said Dr Singh.
