PATNA: Bihar witnessed the highest number of COVID deaths on Tuesday. Among the 17 people who died of coronavirus, was also senior IAS officer Vijay Ranjan.
Ranjan was admitted at AIIMS four days ago where he breathed his last on Tuesday morning. He was scheduled to retire next year after being posted as director in the Panchayat Raj department. His death sent a shock wave across the bureaucratic circle of the state.
Patna not only reported the highest number of Covid positive cases but also 14 deaths.
On the other hand, seven positive patients of COVID-19 reportedly died in PMCH on Tuesday while four died in NMCH, three in AIIMS, and one in Chapra.
Amid all the deaths and the continuing second wave of the pandemic, health minister Mangal Pandey visited the COVID-dedicated NMCH and took stocks of arrangements.
The state government alarmed over a spike of 230 percent positive cases in the last six days, deputed three IAS officers namely Rajiv Raushan at PMCH, Raj Kumar at AIIMS and Pankaj Dixit at NMCH on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the principal of Patna Medical College and Hospital Dr. Vidyapati Choudhary also tested positive at PMCH. He has also been placed under home isolation with proper medicare.
In other development, 11 staff of the Bihar legislative assembly also tested positive on Tuesday, while the Patna AIIMS ran short of beds with all 110 beds fully occupied by patients.
According to statistics, the number of corona patients who are of 24-year-old is 29 percent while 50% percent belongs to the 25 to 49-year-old age group.
Pandey said that the state government is fully conscious and serious about the growing infection of Corona.
He said that in view of the increasing cases of corona in other states, continuous work has been done on testing, tracking and treatment of patients in the state. He also reiterated the need to increase the number of beds for corona patients in medical college hospitals and assured to increase the number of beds in NMCH, 44 in Patna AIIMS and in PMCH as per the requirement.
As per official figures, out of 112 beds, 87 are occupied by Corona patients in PMCH, 91 out of 100 in NMCH, and 106 out of 110 in AIIMS. In other Patna Covid care centers, around 729 beds were said to be available for positive patients besides private medical hospitals.
On Wednesday, 30 additional beds would be crated at AIIMS and 40 at NMCH.