Percentage of Covid positive cases in state stands at 7.61%

Kolkata: Single-day infection has gone little higher in the state on Thursday compared to Wednesday's figure. Around 921 fresh cases were detected in the past 24 hours out of 35,867 sample tests. The number on Wednesday stood at 868.

In another development the Covid vaccine is expected to arrive in the state on Friday. The Centre has written to the state government informing that the vaccine would arrive on Friday. The State Health department has already made all arrangements to store the vaccine and necessary infrastructure has been set up. Vaccine preservation centers have been installed at various medical colleges and hospitals, airport and railway stations.

According to sources, vaccines would be taken to the medical store in Bagbazar after being arrived at Calcutta airport. They would be distributed to the districts from the Bagbazar. Mock drills would be carried out in three centers in each district on Friday except North 24-Parganas. The health department has put in place adequate arrangements in the districts to smoothly conduct the mock drill of Covid vaccination. Around 25 health workers would take part in the drill at each center. All the medical colleges in the districts and other health centers have been selected as the venue for mock drills. Mock drills will also be conducted in all the medical colleges of the city and at 231 ward under the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.

The percentage of positive cases stood at 7.61 on Thursday. Around 1,295 Covid patients were released from various health establishments in the past 24 hours after they recovered.

Around 5,39,816 patients have so far been released in the state till date. The total number of infected patients so far in the state has gone up to 5,58,173. Bengal has so far conducted 73,36,021 sample tests. The recovery rate in the state has reached 96.71 percent on Thursday.

Around 18 Covid infected patients died in the state in the past 24 hours taking the total toll to 9,881 so far. Dr Rajib Gon Choudhury, deputy planning director of ESI hospitals in the state and a member of West Bengal Dental Council died of Covid. Kolkata has registered 2,996 deaths so far and North 24-Parganas 2,383. Four people died in North 24-Parganas and six in Kolkata in the past 24 hours.