Bengal: No let-up in infection, record 2,282 cases added

A senior government official said the administration was planning to set up Covid-19 units in every private and state-run hospital to withstand the rise in cases. A directive to improve infrastructure and accommodate separate units for Covid-19 patients had been already issued to all state-run hospitals, he added.

Most of the latest deaths (34) and infections (78 per cent) were reported from the main hotspot in South Bengal — Kolkata; its adjoining districts North 24 Parganas, Howrah, and South 24 Parganas; and Hooghly. The Assistant Superintendent of National Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, was among those who tested positive.

In North Bengal, the three districts of Malda, Dakshin Dinajpur, and Darjeeling continued to remain a source of concern, reporting almost 80 per cent of the latest cases. The only other death outside the South Bengal districts occurred in Jalpaiguri.

Meanwhile, the state health bulletin reported a marginal improvement in the recovery rate amid a relentless rise in cases. The discharge rate rose to 59.01 per cent following the release of a record 1,535 people from hospitals. It was the fourth record release from hospitals, and took the number of recovered patients to 26,418.