COVID-19: 39 prisoners among 395 test positive in Chhattisgarh

With 395 more people, including 39 inmates and two staff of the Raipur central jail, testing coronavirus positive in Chhattisgarh on Thursday, the state's count rose to 10,932, a health official said.

The death toll climbed to 77 after five more persons succumbed to the viral infection and co-morbidities, while another patient allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself at a COVID care centre, he said.

A total of 217 patients were also discharged, taking the number of recovered cases to 8,088, the official said.

Of the fresh cases, 174 were reported from Raipur district, 53 from Durg, 37 from Bilaspur, 31 from Rajnandgaon, 19 from Raigarh, 12 from Narayanpur, nine from Janjgir-Champa, eight each from Korba and Balrampur districts, seven from Gariaband, six each from Balod, Mahasamund and Kanker districts and three from Jashpur, he said.

While two cases each reported from Dhamtari, Balodabazar, Surguja and Koriya districts, one each came from Bemetara and Surajpur districts, he said.

Besides, six people from other states who had arrived in Chhattisgarh tested positive for the viral infection, he said.

Among the new cases in Raipur, 39 are prisoners lodged in the Raipur central jail, while two are jail staff, the official said.

A woman was among three deaths reported from Raipur, while one patient each from Mahasamund and Rajnandgaon succumbed, he said.

A 60-year-old woman, who was suffering from diabetes, was admitted to DKS Hospital here in on July 31. She later suffered brain hemorrhage and tested positive for coronavirus, he said.

She died while being shifted to Medical College Hospital here on August 4, the official added.

Another patient, aged 40, allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself from the ventilation in a toilet at a COVID care centre in Janjgir town in the morning, he said.

The state has now 2,767 active cases, as 8,088 people have been discharged after recovery, while 77 have died so far, he said.

Chhattisgarh, where the infection has spread in all the 28 districts, has recorded over 7,600 cases and 63 deaths just in the last one month, he said.

With a total 3,654 cases so far, Raipur district tops the state tally.

Meanwhile, the health department has declared 114 development blocks/urban areas, including Raipur, in 28 districts of the state as red zones and six development blocks/urban areas in four districts as orange zones to contain spread of the virus, he said.

The classification of development blocks and urban areas into zones has been done based on the number of active COVID-19 cases, doubling rates and samples tested per 1 lakh population of the area, the official said.

Chhattisgarh's COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases 10,932, new cases 395, deaths 77, discharged 8,088, active cases 2,767, people tested so far 3,52,681.