Ranchi, Aug 5 (IANS): Jailed former Bihar Chief Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president Lalu Prasad was shifted from the paying ward of the Rajendra Institute of Medical Science (RIMS) to its director's residence, here on Wednesday, to protect him from Covid-19 infection.

Shifting has been done on the direction of the jail administration after the security guards and some medical employees of the RIMS paying ward tested Covid-19 positive.

Meanwhile, two former Ministers Enos Ekka and Raja Peter, lodged in the Birsa Munda Central Jail in connection with murder cases, have also tested Covid-19 positive. But they are being kept with 52 other coronavirus positive prisoners.

After so many inmates tested Covid-19 positive, common activities and group works have been stopped in the jail.

Meanwhile, 450 new Covid-19 cases, reported in the last 24 hours, raised the number of cases in the state to 14,400. At present, the number of active cases is 8,742. Coronavirus has claimed 129 lives in Jharkhand, so far.

In last 24 hours, 383 people were discharged from various Covid-19 facilities. Of this, 112 belonged to the Giridih district, Ranchi (67), Lohardaga (46), Palamu and Ramgarh (44 each) and East Singhbhum (34).

Due to the spike in coronavirus cases, the recovery rate has fallen to 36.95 per cent in Jharkhand.

Of the 3,57,748 collected samples, 3,45,907 have been tested and 3,31,837 turned out to be negative.