Team to probe 10 deaths in 12 days at Khutra village in Hazaribag
More than 1000 samples were collected from the area in a door-to-door campaign, out of which 16 villagers, including a six-yearold, tested positive for Covid-19
RANCHI: The Hazaribag administration on Thursday constituted a team to probe 10 deaths in a span of 12 days at village Khutra near Ichak Bazar, an official said.
There were reports that the persons died due to Covid-19 without any treatment. The issue was raised by state agriculture minister Badal Patralekh, who asked the chief secretary Sukhdev Singh for a quick action.
A team was set up as per the instructions from the chief secretary and it has been asked to submit report after spot assessment of the situation.
More than 1000 samples were collected from the area in a drive, out of which 16 villagers, including a six-year-old child, tested positive.
Block programme manager (health), Anita Tirkey, a member of the medical team, said,
“We found 16 villagers infected with Coronavirus. A six-yearold child was also found Covid positive. We have asked them to remain in home isolation and medicine kits have also been provided to them.”
Over the death of 10 people, Tirkey said, “All people did not die of Covid-19. Some of them were suffering from old age illness.”
A villager Suraj Kumar, who lost his 46-year-old father Phuchan Mahto on May 9, said, “My father tested positive on May 5. His treatment was started in home isolation by community health centre Ichak. He recovered from his fever and cough symptoms by May 7. However, on May 9. his health deteriorated and he died on way to the hospital,” Suraj said.
He further said that many people of the village died before his father. “But no health official visited the village for check-up. A medical team has been camping in the village for past two days after the issue got highlighted,” he said.
Mukhiya (head) of the panchayat, Anita Bharti said, “Diseases like typhoid and malaria were spread in surrounded villages. At first, we could not understand that it’s Covid-19. Then we came to know that some people of our village have tested positive, following which we approached the administration for better treatment to the villagers.”
Meanwhile, BJP’s Koderma parliamentarian Annapurna Devi also highlighted spread of the infection in the village in a virtual meeting on Wednesday.
Chief minister Hemant Soren has also expressed concern over spread of the virus in the rural areas. He appealed the villagers to be alert like they did in first wave of the disease last year. “We are also making arrangement of quarantine where people coming from outside will have to stay at least for seven days even if they test negative,” CM said in the meeting.
The state administration has observed an exponential increase in Covid-19 cases in rural areas after large scale inflow of migrant workers in wake of lockdown or restrictions imposed by many states in the country.
Meanwhile, Jharkhand on Thursday saw its fresh fatalities plunge below 100 for the second time in May at 97, with capital Ranchi also witnessing COVID-19 related deaths coming down to 19.
The death toll in the state has climbed to 4,182, as per a Health Department bulletin.