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Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren tested again for Covid-19, found negative
Nineteen staffers of Jharkhand CM’s office and residence including some cooks and security guards were found to be Covid-19 positive last week.
Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren was tested for Covid-19 on Tuesday – second time in less than a month- after 19 members of his staff tested positive for the coronavirus disease last week. His test came out negative in the evening.
Swab samples of the CM, his wife and some others from his office and residence staff were collected in the morning.
“Undergone corona test along with family members and office staff,” Soren said on Twitter.
According to a senior district health official, sampling of people associated with the chief minister’s secretariat was carried on Tuesday morning and nearly 90 samples were collected.
Announcing the test results, Ranchi civil surgeon Dr VB Prasad said in the evening, “Test reports of the CM and his family members were found negative. Reports of many others have not yet arrived.”
The need for a second test arose after the driver of Kalpana Soren, the CM’s wife, and another staff at the CM’s residence were found to be infected with SARS-CoV-2 on July 30. After contact tracing revealed that as many as 17 others in the CM’s residence and secretariat were also found positive on Sunday.
According to a senior district health official, sampling of people associated with the chief minister’s office and residence was carried out on Tuesday morning and nearly 90 samples were collected. “Test reports are likely by today evening or tomorrow,” he said.
Hemant Soren had placed himself in home quarantine early last month soon after coming in contact with one of his cabinet colleagues and a JMM lawmaker who had tested positive for Covid-19. Subsequently, Soren, his family members and several others including CMO officials were tested for the disease which had turned out to be negative.
There were 8561 active Covid-19 cases in the state as per the Union health ministry dashboard at 8 am on Tuesday. The death toll in the state is 125.
