Ranchi, Aug 12 (IANS): A Congress legislator has tested coronavirus positive in Jharkhand on Wednesday, the fourth such case in the state, even as over 700 new cases were detected across 22 districts in the state in the last 24 hours.

After Congress legislator Deepika Pandey Singh tested positive along with her family members, they were put in isolation in their house.

Meanwhile, the state's total coronavirus case tally has increased to 19,569. Deaths of five more Covid-19 patients has taken the state's death toll to 196. The mortality rate has since increased to 0.99 per cent in Jharkhand.

Earlier, MLA Mathura Mahto of Jharkahnd Mukti Morcha (JMM), and CP Singh and Kushwaha Shivapujan Singh of the BJP were found infected with coronavirus.

Drinking Water and Sanitation Minister Mithilesh Thakur was also found infected with the virus, apart from two former Ministers Raja Peter and Enos Ekka who are in jail in separate murder cases.

Jharkhand Minister Mithilesh Thakur, 53, was also infeced but he won the corona battle in 15 days. JMM legislator Prasad Mahto, 62, recovered in 28 days whereas CP Singh, 63, and Shivapujan Mehta were cured in 11 and 13 days respectively.

Despite the increase in coronavirus cases, the recovery rate has gone up to 54.21 per cent in Jharkhand.

So far, 4,00,980 samples have been collected in the state, of which 3,94,315 have been tested. In all, 3,78,846 samples tested negative.