PATNA
The health department has cancelled leaves till April 5 of health staff, including doctors, nurses and paramedics, with immediate effect, amid rising cases of Covid-19 and indications of a second wave of the pandemic in the state.
The health department, in its order March 17, cancelled leaves of all medical officers, up to the level of director-in-chief, principals and superintendents and junior residents of medical college hospitals and director of special medical institutions. The order was also applicable for all health care workers. However, those on study and maternity leave have been excluded from the purview of the order.
Health care workers on leave were asked to report to duty as soon as possible.
The decision has been taken to maintain special vigil and surveillance to contain the spread of the second wave of the pandemic, said the government order, issued by Anil Kumar, joint secretary, health department.
Bihar had earlier cancelled leaves of all health care workers between March 13 and August 30 last year.
New cases of Covid-19 have risen from 22 reported in a day on March 1 to 107 on Thursday. New cases, which had ebbed to six districts of the 38 in Bihar, had also gradually climbed up to 26 districts on Thursday.
{{/usCountry}}New cases of Covid-19 have risen from 22 reported in a day on March 1 to 107 on Thursday. New cases, which had ebbed to six districts of the 38 in Bihar, had also gradually climbed up to 26 districts on Thursday.
{{/usCountry}}On Wednesday, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, following the interaction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chief Ministers on the COVID-19 situation, said the state government had decided to increase the number of daily COVID-19 tests. Bihar had tested 59,076 samples on Thursday with 405 active cases.
Bihar, which has reported 263,265 Covid-19 cases with 1,555 deaths so far, has a recovery rate of 99.26%.