Single-day cases in Bengal dip to 19,286, +vity rate climbs to over 37%

Kolkata: RT-PCR tests may be affected in the southern fringes of the city and some parts of South 24-Parganas as many health professionals in Covid testing labs at SSKM Hospital, ESI Joka and Diamond Harbour Medical College covering those areas, have been infected and therefore, are in home isolation.

The development comes on a day when the Covid positivity rate in Bengal touched 37.32 per cent. The number of daily infected cases, however, dropped to 19,286 on Monday from 24,287 on Sunday. The positivity rate remained at 33.89 per cent on Sunday.

According to sources, microbiologists, other doctors and lab technologists at the labs of these hospitals have been down with Coronavirus. MR Bangur Hospital, Vidyasagar Hospital and Ramrick Hospital and many others send their samples to the SSKM Hospital. More than 400 samples from South 24-Parganas are brought to SSKM on a daily basis. Due to emergency situations, the tests are done on a contractual basis. If the infection continues to go up, it may have an adverse impact on the health services. The Head of the Microbiology department of the Diamond Harbour Medical College has been infected along with many others. Over 70 doctors from the ESI Hospital, Joka, have tested positive.

Bengal has cumulatively administered around 9,64,179 Covid doses on Monday whereas around 2,49,498 doses have been administered among the youths in the 15-18 age group. Precautionary or booster doses have been administered to 35,081 people on the first day. Over 11.06 crore people have been cumulatively vaccinated in the state so far. Around 6.70 crore first doses have been administered so far while around 4.36 crore people received double doses across the state. Around 3,971 people have received booster doses in various KMC centres till 4 pm. Apart from this, around 41,244 youths in the age bracket 15-18 have also been vaccinated on Monday. The KMC Health department will suspend the issuance of birth and death certificates for the next two days.

State Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi on Monday directed the police and district administration to strictly enforce all Covid restrictions and increase micro-containment zones in areas where there has been a spike in cases.

The number of fresh cases of Covid infection across the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has set a new record with around 1600 positive reports received on Sunday. The total number of Covid cases till Sunday is nearly five thousand in the BMC area. Apart from general people, around 40 employees of the civic body posted at the BMC headquarters and health centres also have been tested positive.