Kolkata: As many as 130 new COVID-19 positive cases have been reported across the state in the past 24 hours taking the total number of confirmed cases to 1,678.
The daily bulletin issued by the state Health department on Friday said 323 patients have been released from the hospitals after recovery. The death toll due to COVID-19 reached 88 on Friday. The health bulletin said around 72 patients died due to various comorbidities. These patients were affected by the virus. The bulletin mentioned that the state Health department has carried out 3,015 sample tests in the past 24 hours. The total number of samples tested till May 8 is 35,767. Till Thursday, 32,752 samples were tested in the state.
Two more testing laboratories have been included in the system while five more are awaiting approval from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The total number of dedicated Covid hospitals stands at 68 across the state so far. Around 16 government hospitals are dedicated to Corona while 52 private hospitals have been designated for the disease.
The Bengal government has introduced automated e-pass system for entry and exit from the state. One has to log in to the 'Egiye Bangla' portal - www.wb.gov.in — to get the passes. There are three options. For exit pass, the link is http://covidwbgov.in/exit/aspx/Signin.aspx while the link for entry pass is http://covidwbgov.in/entry/aspx/signin.aspx.
Those who wish to travel in groups in large vehicles like buses to enter Bengal, they can apply at http://covidwbgov.co.in/GROUPENTRY/aspx/signin.aspx.
Making the task easier for those in need of support, especially those who are stuck in other states, they just need to send 'hi' to WhatsApp number 8017845555. They may also send SMS to 51969. They may also contact at the round-the-clock helpline number 033-22141995/2214 3526 or at the toll-free number 1070.
Meanwhile, on Friday, two more containment zones have increased in Kolkata. On Thursday, the number had decreased and the total count was 319 that went up to 321 on Friday.
A total of 3,390 COVID-19 cases have been reported from India with 103 deaths being registered in the last 24 hours taking the total tally of confirmed cases to 56,342 and death toll to 1,886.