Bengal: 4,053 recoveries push up discharge rate to 88.43%

According to the state health bulletin, in which figures are updated till 9 am, 59 deaths on Sunday pushed up the state’s toll to 6,900.

More than 62 per cent of the new cases, and 46 deaths were recorded in the South Bengal pandemic epicentre comprising Kolkata, its three neighbouring districts, and Hooghly. These districts also recorded about 59 per cent of the latest recoveries.

Owing to the surge in recoveries, active cases in the capital city dropped below 7,000. The active caseload is also over a thousand in South Bengal districts outside the epicentre such as Paschim Medinipur, Purba Medinipur, Purba Bardhaman, and Paschim Bardhaman. It dropped marginally in Nadia too, which is the only district outside the epicentre with more than 2,000 patients.

A total of 44,457 tests were conducted in 24 hours.

Doctors flag low testing, say early diagnosis is key

Kolkata: A doctors’ collective on Sunday raised concerns that at a time when other states were ramping up Covid-19 testing, West Bengal’s daily count had dropped in the last one month.

In a letter to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Service Doctors’ Forum expressed displeasure that West Bengal’s daily testing samples were the third lowest in the country. It stressed that the state could contain the virus with the help of early diagnosis and urged her to get every symptomatic patient tested.

Dr Sajal Biswas, General Secretary of the forum, said, “During Durga Puja, huge gatherings were held. With an expected increase in the spread of corona infections by many folds and due to seasonal changes, a large number of population has been suffering from common cold with fever. It is very difficult to differentiate between symptoms of common cold and coronavirus. So every symptomatic patient has to be tested to rule out Covid-19. But, the total number of Covid-19 tests has been reduced after Puja — from 43,700 on September 29 to 43,200 on October 29 — whereas Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are testing 88,000 and 75,0000 daily. Early diagnosis is important to further prevent the infection spread and deaths.”

“In respect to corona tests (for ten million population) at present, West Bengal is among the lowest three states in the country. The test rate for 10 million population in West Bengal is only 46K where the country’s average is 80K. Till today, a handful number of tests are being conducted for corona and a large number of symptomatic patients have been deprived of daily testing,” read the letter undersigned by Dr Pradip Banerjee, president of the forum.

The forum also rued that West Bengal had the fourth highest number of active cases, the fifth highest number of Covid-related deaths and the eighth highest number of total cases in the country.

It had earlier written a letter to the chief minister raising similar concerns over a possible spike in Covid-19 cases due to bursting of firecrackers on Diwali. ENS