In a bid to help prisoners fight Covid-19, authorities have included boiled eggs and kadha – a therapeutic Indian drink for boosting immunity– to the daily diet of infected inmates in jails across the state, officials said on Tuesday.

“We are serving one boiled egg to each infected prisoner every day. Besides, Kadha, made in the jail kitchen, is also served to the inmates who are fighting the Novel Coronavirus,” said Inspector General, Prison, Birendra Bhushan.

The addition to the regular menu for prisoners was incorporated in the beginning of this week in wake of the pandemic. The protein in eggs, jail officials said, helps boost immunity, while kadha has been used for several years in Indian households as an immunity booster.

“Infected people need a nutritious diet in order to overcome the virus, so we are doing our bit to help prisoners cope with the infection,” said Bhushan.

The count of Covid-infected prisoners at Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi reached 105 on Saturday as at least 73 more jail inmates were found to be Covid positive. On August 4, as many as 40 prisoners and 14 staff at Jharkhand's largest jail tested positive for Covid-19. At least 200 more jail inmates were tested on the basis of contact tracing after the findings on August 4, officials said.

Meanwhile, prison authorities have supplied prophylaxis, zinc, vitamin C and vitamin D tablets in sufficient quantity to the jail for treatment of infected patients. At least five doctors, including two MDs, are treating patients at Birsa Munda Jail, which can accommodate around 2,000 inmates, Bhushan said.

The additions to the menu in jail were only for infected prisoners and not for other inmates, jail officials said. The infected prisoners have been kept in a separate isolation centre within the jail premises.

Bhushan said the situation was particularly alarming in Birsa Munda Jail, while there were negligible cases of Covid infection in other jails of Jharkhand.

Besides Ranchi, Jharkhand has four other central jails in Palamau, Hazaribagh, Dumka and East Singbhum. Additionally, there are over two dozen divisional and sub-divisional jails.