Third wave: State allots about Rs 2.42 cr to boost health infra

KOLKATA: Bengal government has allotted funds of around Rs 2.42 crore for the infrastructural revamp in various government hospitals ahead of an anticipated third wave of Covid.

Sources said the funds would be utilised by the Health department for procuring more number of ICU beds, PICU beds, oxygen pipeline, setting up of new wards and others development. All the hospitals have been asked to put in place adequate infrastructure on emergency basis. SSKM Hospital, RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Calcutta Medical College and Hospital, BC Roy Hospitals are among the city's medical colleges to get a facelift under this fund. Burdwan Medical College and Hospital and North Bengal Medical College and Hospital are also in the list of hospitals to get the funds.

Meanwhile, state has recorded 619 fresh Covid cases on Tuesday. The figure on Monday stood at 601. Active Covid cases on Tuesday dropped to 7,575 from what stood at 7,604 on Monday. As many as 637 Covid recovered patients have been released from different hospitals on Tuesday. The Covid recovery rate remained at 98.32 per cent.

Around 11 people died of Covid in the state in the past 24 hours. On Monday, around 12 fatalities were reported in the state. The total number of infected people has reached 15,72,460 so far. Out of this, around 15,46,037 people have so far recovered and released from the hospitals. Around 18,848 people have so far died of Covid in the state. The percentage of occupancy of Covid beds in the state stood at 3.29 on Tuesday while the positivity rate dropped to 1.75 on Tuesday from 2.27 on Monday. The fatality rate in Bengal stood at 1.20 per cent.

Around 115 fresh Covid cases were detected in North 24-Parganas while in Kolkata the number was registered at 126. South 24-Parganas has seen 59 new cases, Hooghly 45 and Howrah 36, Darjeeling 28, Nadia 39, Jalpaiguri 18.

Bengal has so far carried out 1,83,25,212 Covid sample tests out of which around 35,336 tests were done in the past 24 hours. Kolkata has seen 3 Covid deaths on Tuesday and North 24-Parganas has seen 4 deaths. South 24-Parganas and Kalimpong have registered 1 death each. Nadia has seen 2 deaths.

Around 147 Covid testing laboratories have been set up in the state so far and RT PCR/Antigen tests ratio remained at 38:62. As many as 203 dedicated Covid hospitals have been functional in the state out of which 196 are government hospitals. As many as 2,861 ICU/HDU beds are functional in the state.

The Health department has so far addressed 22,24,013 general queries so far out of which 2,419 queries were addressed in the past 24 hours. State has so far given telemedicine consultations to 9,09,048 people so far out of which 1,220 were given consultation in the past 24 hours.