West Bengal seventh state with over 1 lakh coronavirus cases
West Bengal reported 2,931 new COVID-19 infections on Tuesday, taking the total case count in the state to 101,390. With this, the Trinamool-governed state has become the seventh Indian state to touch the grim benchmark. The state also recorded 49 new deaths, taking the toll to 2,149. Fortunately, the discharge rate remained a solid 72.3%, higher than the national average of 69.80%.
Sadly, Kolkata's fatality rate is higher than rest of Bengal
Of 49 deaths reported in Bengal, 18 came from Kolkata. The capital city's fatality rate at 3.3% remains higher than the state average of 2.1% and significantly higher than the national average of 1.9%. Around 90% of the fatalities, and 70% of the cases, are centered in the South Bengal area, with Kolkata, Hooghly, Howrah, and the North and South 24 Parganas becoming hotspots.
Many high-profile politicians have succumbed to the virus
The virus has taken lives of many notable personalities as well. Trinamool MLA Tamonash Ghosh and CPI(M) leader Shyamal Chakraborty passed away after getting infected. Swapan Debnath, the Minister for Textile and MSME, tested positive and has been admitted to the Beliaghata ID hospital in Bardhaman. Earlier, Fire Minister Sujit Basu also tested positive. Luckily, he recovered after receiving intensive treatment.
Meanwhile, Bengal has stepped up testing
The state has ramped up testing since July 29 and tested a record 27,015 samples within 24 hours till Tuesday. Separately, the recoveries provided some respite as well. Till 9 am on Tuesday, 3,067 patients were discharged, swelling the total number of recoveries across the state to 73,395. West Bengal has the third-highest recovery rate after Delhi and Tamil Nadu.
Experts accepted that contagion is spreading at an alarming rate
"The spike in daily cases is quite high over the past few weeks. This infection is spreading at an alarming rate. This was expected...We could be moving towards the peak slowly," Debkishore Gupta, disease control specialist, was quoted by TOI.
Reaching one-lakh mark is not good: Expert
Sukumar Mukherjee, an expert on the COVID-19 committee, said that there was a need to take a "longitudinal view with cumulative effect." "We cannot draw any conclusion immediately, and while 25,000 active cases despite a spike in testing is a healthy sign, crossing the 1-lakh mark is not good," said Mukherjee. Notably, NICED started sending samples for testing to NIV Pune from February.
Testing goes up, but irregularities are troubling citizens
Although the number of tests in West Bengal has reached 11.5 lakh, reports of irregularities and discriminatory behavior have trickled in from various areas. A family in Kolkata alleged that a hospital refused to test the patient as the "advance fees" weren't paid. Similar complaints have arisen in Howrah and Tamluk, where people alleged lack of equipment and delayed testing.
