The state government converted four government buildings into Covid care centres in Ranchi on Saturday and averted a situation that could have led to a major crisis due to shortage of Covid beds.

Sird Ranchi, Risaldar Urban CHC, Tana Bhagat Guest House and Paras Hospital HEC were made Covid care centres with rooms for over 300 asymptomatic patients, thereby taking the count of available Covid beds above the number of active cases.

On Friday, there were 384 active cases in Ranchi and only 340-odd dedicated Covid beds in government facilities, figures with the health department highlighted. By Saturday evening, there were at least 650 beds available for a little more than 400 active Covid patients.

The upward trend in the Covid trajectory in Jharkhand continued on Saturday. At least 273 fresh cases of coronavirus infection surfaced on Saturday, taking the total count of Covid-19 cases in the state to 5,385, government data indicated.

The death toll rose to 48 on Saturday as two more Covid patients, both from Dhanbad, died during treatment, health officials said.

The Covid recovery rate in Jharkhand dropped to 49.32 per cent on Saturday, while the mortality rate jumped to 0.89 per cent. Notably, the Covid recovery rate in the state was the fourth highest in country by the end of June, but it is much lower than the national average of 63.02 per cent now.

The number of Covid cases in the state has doubled since June 30, according to figures compiled by the National Health Mission (NHM). By June 30, as many as 2,490 cases were reported in Jharkhand.

More than 65 per cent of the state's Covid deaths have occurred in July. As per government data, the Covid toll was 15 on June 30, and it jumped to 48 by the night of July 18 (Saturday).

Ranchi has reported the highest spike in Covid cases in the past one week, officials said. On Saturday, too, at least 61 fresh cases surfaced in Ranchi, taking the total number of cases here to 666. As per government figures, there are 444 active cases in Ranchi, which is highest among the 24 districts in state.

The government has so far collected samples of 2.27 lakh suspected individuals and tested 2.12 lakh. Around 2.7 lakh people have been put in home quarantine in Jharkhand, while nearly 8000 have been sent to institutional quarantine.