Grim record: State sees 127 deaths

Kolkata: A record single-day spike of 19,436 Covid cases were reported across Bengal on Saturday taking the total infection tally to 9,73,718. The state registered 127 fatalities, the highest single-day count, in the past 24 hours. Around 12,203 people have so far died of Covid in Bengal.

As many as 18,243 patients recovered from the disease in the state in a span of 24 hours taking the total count of recoveries to 8,36,351. Covid recovery rate on Saturday remained at 85.89 percent. The number of active Covid patients stood at 1,25,164. The percentage of positive cases out of the samples tested stood at 8.93. The state has so far carried out 1,09,05,646 Covid sample tests out of which 63,377 tests were performed in the past 24 hours. Out of total 127 deaths, North 24-Parganas registered 39 and Kolkata witnessed 34 fatalities on Saturday.

The city in the past 24 hours registered 3,961 fresh cases and North 24-Parganas 3,982. The total death toll in Kolkata has so far reached 3,650 while North 24-Parganas lost 3,009 people so far. The tally of infected patients in Kolkata went up to 2,22,917 while North 24-Parganas has so far seen a total of 2,09,338 cases.

Meanwhile, in view of the crisis in Covid testing and delivery of timely reports, South Point School has made its premises at Mandeville Gardens available for setting up a walk-in swab collection centre for RT-PCR test. Tests will be done at Rs 500 each and reports will be made available by the end of the next day.

The state Health department has issued no objection to the Presidency University's proposal of developing an isolation centre, fully equipped with oxygen supplies, for non-critical Covid patients within the university campus.

The department has also promised to support this cause and has communicated to the university authorities to get in touch with Chief Medical Officer of Health, KMC, Subrata Roy Chowdhury for necessary assistance.