Amid surge in cases, state directs to increase tests, set up safe homes

kolkata: With the Covid positivity rate in Bengal on the rise, the state health department has asked all the districts to increase the daily sample tests and also to make an arrangement for setting up safe homes.

Health officials have however assured that the situation is under control and no jump has been traced in hospital admission.

Health experts have suggested that asymptomatic or mild symptomatic patients can undergo treatment from home.

State on Wednesday registered a positivity rate at 4.85 per cent while in the case of Kolkata the figure is much higher. Various districts have seen a sudden rise in the positivity rate. Daily Covid infection on Wednesday dropped to 295 from what stood at 406 on Tuesday. State saw 224 cases on Monday. The figure was registered at 362 on Sunday. Health experts had earlier warned that asymptomatic cases are going up and they suggested that the number of daily Covid tests should be increased. A recent sentinel survey conducted by the health department has suggested that many of infected patients are asymptomatic.

The recent sentinel survey report was carried out between June 15-17 on over 11,000 samples collected from 28 hospitals. Around 6,078 samples were tested on Wednesday. Around 25,486,425 samples have been tested so far in the state.Two Covid deaths have been reported on Wednesday while on Tuesday one death had been reported.

State saw one death on Monday and Sunday as well. Covid fatality rate stood at 1.05 per cent on Wednesday, unchanged from Tuesday's figure. The recovery rate dropped to 98.83 per cent on Wednesday from what was registered at 98.84 per cent on Tuesday. The figure stood at 98.85 per cent on Monday. Around 20,22,842 people have so far been infected with Covid across the state out of which 19,99,184 people have recovered.

Health department also asked the districts to give further emphasis on vaccination. There are around 1,686 government run vaccination centres while the number of private vaccination centres stands at 162. As the daily infection went below 30 in the past couple of months, many people became reluctant to get the booster dose.

Many elderly citizens have skipped their booster doses.