<span style="color: #222222;">Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today announced that COVID vaccination will be absolutely free in the entire state.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Mr. Kumar said, such facility will be made available even at private hospitals.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">He said, it will be facilitated by the State Government. </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today  received the first shot of COVID-19 vaccine at IGIMS, Patna. He urged people of the state to get themselves inoculated.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />''Mr Kumar also said, arrangements have been made at the state-run super specialty hospital IGIMS, Patna for inoculation of all members of the State Legislature.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />''AIR correspondent reports that all school classes of Standard one and five were opened from today.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />''Now schools of all classes have been opened in the state. Schools were closed since March 14 last year due to corona pandemic. </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Schools have been instructed to follow COVID protocols.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />''The  detailed Standard Operating Procedures ( SOPs) include compulsory wearing of face mask, social distancing and fifty per cent occupancy.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />''All government school teachers have been instructed to remain present at their respective schools.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />''No sick teacher or student will be allowed to enter inside the school premises.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />''Meanwhile, the number of active cases is sharply declining in the state.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />''Currently, only 398 patients are receiving treatment at various hospitals.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />''No positive case has been reported from 29 districts.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">2,60,594 patients have recovered from the COVID-19 infection in state so far.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />''COVID-19 recovery rate has improved to 99.26 per cent in Bihar.</span>