Kolkata: The Bengal government has conducted 17,021 Covid tests across the state in the past 24 hours which is the highest in a single-day so far. The total number of sample tests done so far across the state has reached 8,39,211. The percentage of positive cases out of the sample tested reached 7.50 per cent.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said that Bengal is poised to carry out around 25,000 sample tests per day within August 15. Banerjee also mentioned that rapid antigen tests would be started and by August 15 around 2 lakh antigen tests would be completed across the state. Around 2,105 Covid affected patients have been released from the hospitals in the past 24 hours. As many as 42,022 Covid patients have been released from various hospitals so far. The discharge rate of the state has gone up to 66.74 per cent. Bengal has witnessed 2,134 new Covid infected cases in the past 24 hours and the total number of affected patients in the state has gone up to 62,964 so far. Around 38 persons have died in the past 24 hours and the total death toll across the state has reached 1,449 in the state so far.
An elderly person, a resident of Haridevpur died at MR Bangur Hospital who had been attacked with Covid and dengue simultaneously. In a separate incident a child, a resident of Park Circus died of dengue at a private hospital for children in the same area. A nurse who was currently posted at the cardiology department of the SSKM Hospital died of Covid at Beliaghata ID Hospital. She tested positive for the virus and was admitted to the hospital on July 18.
Kolkata reported 778 new cases in a day. The total number of infected patients in Kolkata has so far reached 19,531. North 24-parganas saw 462 new cases on Tuesday. The district has so far registered a total 13,363 cases. Howrah has so far seen 7,072 Covid cases out of which 145 have been affected in the past 24 hours.