PATNA: Bihar reported as many as 133 new cases of Covid-19 on Sunday, a marginal dip from 198 on Saturday — the highest spike in a day this month — pushing the number of active cases to 857 in the state, as per government data on Sunday.
According to the data, Patna accounted for 80 new cases and Purnia seven. The state capital had 399 active cases followed by Bhagalpur 56, Gaya 52, Purnia 41, and Khagaria 40.
Despite an increase in the number of active cases, only 20 patients required hospitalisation, while the bulk of the remaining 837 were under home isolation across the state, the government data said.
Among those hospitalised, five were at Patna’s AIIMS, four at the Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH), and three at the Nalanda Medical College Hospital (NMCH), said their respective nodal officers of Covid-19.
“Though the Covid positivity rate is up, the severity of cases is not much and only as good as flu,” said Dr Ajay Kumar Sinha, head, department of medicine and nodal officer for Covid-19 at the NMCH.
“We have so far had one casualty of a patient infected with Covid-19 in April, but the patient had underlying infection and was immunocompromised, being severely diabetic and hypertensive. His CT scan showed involvement of the lungs,” said Dr. Sinha.
Most Covid-19 patients requiring hospitalisation had some background disease. Those symptomatic, with cold, cough, or fever should get themselves tested, and isolate, he added.
Dr. Arun Ajay, epidemiologist, and nodal officer for Covid-19 at PMCH said there were no direct cases of hospitalisation due to breathlessness, low oxygen saturation, and involvement of the lungs among the four Covid-19 patients admitted at the hospital.
“Most patients got admitted due to some other ailment and tested positive for Covid-19 during random sampling,” said Dr. Ajay.
He said though the infectivity was high, the strain of the virus was mild.
“At least five Covid-19 patients were admitted at AIIMS, which has reported three deaths, including a seven-month-old child from Jehanabad, infected with the SARS CoV-2 virus this month. The other two Patna-based patients, above 50 years of age who died, were immunocompromised and had contracted Covid-19 infection. Among them one had undergone an open-heart surgery a month back,” said Dr Sanjeev Kumar, nodal officer for Covid-19, AIIMS-Patna.
“The case positivity is up, but fortunately the strain of the virus is not very severe and is the same as the third wave of Omicron. However, people with co-morbidities need to be cautious, as the infection may be serious for them,” added Dr Kumar.