'Number of beds and tests to go up in Aug'

Kolkata: The Bengal government is committed to bring down the death rate of COVID- 19 patents which is 2.56 per cent now, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee said on Tuesday.

She was addressing a virtual rally to observe the Martyrs' Day.

She said of the total COVID-19 affected people in the state 87 per cent are asymptomatic while another 8 per cent are moderately serious while the remaining 5 per cent are serious. She said those with high blood sugar, kidney ailments and hypertension are most vulnerable and should get in touch with doctors if they are found to be suffering from breathing difficulty.

She said at present 18,000 beds are available for COVID-19 patients in different health care establishments. Of these, 11,000 beds are available in COVID- 19 hospitals and 7,000 beds are available in Safe Home facility. Steps have already been taken to increase the number of beds to 23,000 by August 31.

She said now 13,000 people are being tested for COVID 19 and the number will go up to 25,000 by August 15. She urged people not to panic as with increase in tests cases may go

up.

She said the state government has chalked out plans to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The discharge rate is now 60 per cent. She said earlier COVID-19 patients were kept for 15 days in the hospitals but now the experts said that they could be kept for seven days and after that they will be released from hospitals and will be kept under observation for another seven days in their homes. She urged people to maintain the COVID- 19 norms and not panic.