Another COVID-19 case reported in Bihar, total count 16

A 35-year-old man with a travel history to Dubai tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday here, taking the tally of those afflicted in Bihar to 16, an official said.

Pradip Das, Director of ICMR Rajendra Memorial Research Institute, which is conducting the bulk of coronavirus tests in the state, said the latest case was that of a resident of Gopalganj district who had returned from Dubai before the lockdown came into force.

Meanwhile, a 45-year-old woman, who had tested positive on March 22 and had been admitted to AIIMS, Patna, was on Monday discharged after full recovery, hospital authorities said.

The woman, who resides in Anisabad locality of the city, had recently travelled to Nepal and had turned up at the hospital to get tested as a precautionary measure. The hospital authorities said she remained stable during her stay at the facility, developed no symptoms and looked perfectly healthy, though a close watch would be kept on her for another week.

Her family members, including her son who had recently travelled to Italy but did not test positive, have been living at home in self-imposed quarantine. According to the state health department, close to 1,100 samples have been tested so far.

A 38-year-old man whose test results came on the same day as that of the woman, breathed his last before it was confirmed that he was infected with coronavirus. He had a history of travelling to Qatar and was admitted to AIIMS, Patna, because of renal failure.

Testing of samples is likely to pick up in the state with hordes of migrant workers having poured in from different parts of the country, notwithstanding assurances by the Nitish Kumar government that it would ensure they were looked after wherever they happened to be.