Kolkata: Bengal government has conducted a record number of Covid tests in the past 24 hours as the number has gone up to 31,317 on Friday. The total number of sample tests carried out across the state has reached 12,48,272 so far. However, the percentage of positive cases out of samples tested stands at 8.84 per cent.
The state has witnessed the release of 2,572 patients from various hospitals in the past 24 hours and the total number of patients discharged from hospitals so far stands at 81,189 till Friday with the discharge rate reaching 73.57 per cent. About 3,035 patients have been infected with the virus in the past 24 hours which is also a record so far. A total of 1,10,358 patients have so far been affected with the virus across the state.
Bengal has witnessed the highest number of death toll in the past 24 hours as the number reached 60. The total death toll so far in the state has reached 2,319. Kolkata witnessed 615 new Covid cases in the past 24 hours. As many as 21 people died in the city in the past 24 hours.
Among the deceased was a CISF personnel who had been posted at the Kolkata airport. The victim, identified as Mahendra Ram, tested positive for the virus and was admitted to a Covid hospital in the city. CISF in its Twitter handle expressed their heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family members.
The total number of infected patients in Kolkata has so far reached 31,085.
North 24-Parganas saw 606 new cases on Friday which is a record. The total number of cases in the district has reached 23,467 cases. The district has seen 16 deaths in the past 24 hours. Howrah has so far seen a total of 10,819 Covid cases out of which 218 have been affected in the past 24 hours.
Hooghly has seen 5,194 Covid cases till date out of which 151 new cases were detected in the past 24 hours. Two people have died in Hooghly in the past 24 hours. South 24-Parganas has registered 254 Covid cases in the past 24 hours. The total number of Covid infected patients has gone up 8,133 till Friday.
In another development, the state Health department has decided to install an oxygen plant at Beliaghata ID Hospital and MR Bangur Hospital as part of its infrastructure strengthening measure. The department has a plan to install oxygen plants at other government-run Covid hospitals as well.
Tension broke out at the Covid testing lab of NRS Medical College on Friday afternoon after smoke was spotted billowing out of a bio-safety cabinet. However, there was no damage done. The state health department has directed all hospitals to set up an isolation ward for suspected Coronavirus cases and ensure that patients are in stable condition before transferring them to a dedicated COVID-19 facility.
The department has also said that hospitals should not discharge any COVID-19 patient in need of medical attention without getting an assurance of admission from a facility, earmarked for treating such cases.