Bengal logs 14,022 fresh COVID-19 cases, 17 more deaths

Kolkata: West Bengal's COVID-19 tally on Wednesday climbed to 16,78,323 with 14,022 fresh cases, 4,949 more than the previous day, the health department said.

The positivity rate rose to 23.17 per cent from Tuesday's 18.96 per cent, it said.

The metropolis accounted for 6,170 new infections, followed by North 24 Parganas at 2,540 and Howrah at 1,280.

With 17 fresh fatalities, the death toll mounted to 19,827, a bulletin issued by the health department said.

The city and neighbouring North 24 Parganas district accounted for five new deaths each, it said.

West Bengal now has 33,042 active cases, while 6,438 patients were discharged since Tuesday, taking the total number of recoveries to 16,25,454, it said.

The discharge rate was at 96.85 per cent.

BCCI president and former Team India skipper Sourav Ganguly's daughter Sana, actor Parambrata Chatterjee, TMC MP Deepak Adhikari (Dev) and his actor partner Rukmini, another party MP Mimi Chakraborty, actor-turned BJP leader Rudranil Ghosh tested positive for the infection.

Nearly 300 doctors, healthcare officials and support staffers at different hospitals, including Health Services Director Dr Ajay Chakraborty, National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases Director Santa Dutta and 12 others there, were found infected with the disease in the last 24 hours, an official said.

They have been sent for institutional quarantine, he said.

Several policemen of the city and the state police have also contracted the disease, an officer said.

The state has so far conducted over 2.16 crore sample tests for COVID-19, including 60,511 in the last 24 hours.

Meanwhile, 4,87,115 doses of COVID vaccines were administered to eligible beneficiaries on Wednesday, the official said, adding that 1,70,112 jabs were given to children in the age group of 15-18 years.