West Bengal logs highest one-day spike in Covid-19 cases

KOLKATA: Bengal recorded the highest single-day spike in number of Covid-19 cases on Sunday, when 371 fresh cases were reported, an increase by 54 from Saturday’s 317 cases. The state has also ramped up testing and crossed the 2-lakh mark — at 2,03,751 tests — till Sunday.

Experts contribute the surge to arrival of migrant labours and the breaking of social distancing norms in many places in the aftermath of Amphan.They fear the rise to get higher in the coming days.
Even as Kolkata continues to be the highest contributor to the total Covid-19 tally, districts, including Cooch Behar that did not record a single case even three days ago, are seeing a sudden spurt in number. Apart from Murshidabad, East Midnapore, Malda, East Burdwan, districts like Purulia and Bankura, that were ‘Green Districts’ a week ago, are seeing an increasing in cases.
“With the arrival of more people in the state, especially the migrant labourers, we can expect a surge in number of cases,” said internal medicine specialist Arindam Biswas.
Kolkata recorded 72 fresh cases, North 24 Paganas 60, Howrah 47, Hooghly 43 and Cooch Behar 36. With the spurt in number the positivity rate too has started climbing up steadily. It had came down to as low as 2.5% on May 27. It rose to 2.7% on Sunday.
Of the total 5,501 Covid cases in the state so far, about one fourth has been recorded in the past four days.
“With ramped up testing, the rate of positive cases had started declining. But now a good chunk of people, specially migrant labourers, coming back from other affected states are testing positive, triggering a rise in positive cases. But that will not stop us from testing more,” said a health department official.
The state has ramped up the testing and did 9,354 tests on Sunday. Despite more cases being detected, the number of people cured and discharged has also been rising — number of daily discharge being more than 100 for about a week. On Sunday, 187 more were sent home from various hospitals after they were cured. Currently, the discharge rate in Bengal is 39.2%.
“Some labs are working to raise capacity. Hopefully by middle of this week or towards the end, some of them should be in a position to take in more samples. We are also expecting a couple of more labs to get licence,” said a health official.
Meanwhile, a sub inspector of New Alipore police station and his wife have tested Covid positive on Sunday. Total number of Kolkata Police personnel getting affected now stands at 93. A 50-year-old pharmacist attached to the Railways Orthopaedic Hospital in Howrah died at Sanjiban Hospital during treatment for Covid infection. Doctors said he was diabetic, suffered from hypertension and had been on ventilation from Day One due to acute Covid pneumonia.