Record 19,003 Covid tests in past 24 hours

Kolkata: The Bengal government conducted as many as 19,003 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 so far across the state has gone up to 8,93,400. The percentage of positive cases out of samples tested reached 7.86 per cent on Friday.

As many as 2,118 Covid affected patients have been released from the hospitals in the past 24 hours and the total number of patients discharged from the hospitals so far reached 48,374. The discharge rate of the state has gone up to 68.92 per cent on Friday.

The state has registered 2,496 new Covid cases in the past 24 hours and the total number of affected patients has gone up to 70,188 so far. About 45 patients have died in the past 24 hours and the total death toll in the state has reached 1,581.

Kolkata witnessed 670 new Coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours. As many as 21 people died in the city in the past 24 hours. The total number of infected patients in Kolkata has so far reached 21,639. North 24-Parganas saw 644 new cases on Friday which is the highest in the district so far. The district has so far registered a total of 15,131 cases. North 24-Parganas has seen 13 deaths in the past 24 hours. Howrah has so far seen 7,750 Covid cases out of which 160 have been affected in the past 24 hours.

The state Health department has started surveillance of critical Covid patients round-the-clock through a portal. The initiative was earlier announced by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Around 25 doctors and other experts would monitor the health condition of critical patients at various hospitals from the control room at Swasthya Bhawan. All the private and government hospitals have been asked to upload details relating to the critical patients through tabs.

The experts at the control room will go through the reports and may take decisions in this regard.

Meanwhile, the North 24-Parganas district administration has already started rapid antigen tests at Barasat District Hospital and also at the College of Medicine and Sagore Dutta Hospital in Kamarhati while many other sub-divisional hospitals will soon start this test.

Around 10,000 rapid antigen kits have already arrived at various centres while another 7,000 kits will soon be delivered soon.

The district health officials are trying to conduct the antigen tests at all the municipalities, Panchayats and also at block levels.