Three more die in Siliguri; 42 new Covid cases -No respite:Sources said Covid tests of their throat swab samples were conducted after their deaths today and they confirmed they had the novel coronavirus

SNS, SILIGURI, 13 JULY 2020 : Three persons who had tested positive for Covid-19 died in Siliguri today. A resident of Malbazaar died at Dr Chhang's (Covid) Hospital at Matigara, while two other persons died in the Respiratory Intensive Care Unit (RICU) at the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH).

One of the persons, a 65- year-old male resident of Matigara block was admitted in the RICU yesterday, while another 55-year-old female resident of Gorubathan in Kalimpong district was also admitted there yesterday.

Sources said Covid tests of their throat swab samples were conducted after their deaths today and they confirmed they had the novel coronavirus.

Meanwhile, an officer of the rank of sub-inspector of a police station in Siliguri has tested positive for Covid-19.

The policeman is among 42 fresh cases detected in different areas under the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) in the past 24 hours, sources said. Among the cases, While 9 has five cases, and Ward 5 has registered four cases, it is learnt, while the break-up for the other wards was not immediately available.

45 new cases in S Dinajpur: 

In the highest single-day spike in number of Covid-19 cases, South Dinajpur district today reported 45 new cases.

While six of the samples were tested in the TrueNat machine, the remaining were tested in the Malda Medical College and Hospital, sources said.

Five of the fresh cases are from areas under the Balurghat Municipality, while one is from the outskirts, sources added. However, despite the spike in cases, the administration is allegedly not strictly enforcing the fresh lockdown that has been announced in several areas under the district, sources said."The health department has shifted the patients to safe houses. With these 45 patients, the total number of Covid cases in the district has gone up to 360.

However, the figures of the district and state health department show 370, as 10 persons, who are residents of South Dinajpur district, have tested positive outside the district," sources said. Meanwhile, BJP MR Sukanta Majumder, once again demanded that the district administration make public the amount of funds it has spent on quarantine centres. "The government has allocated a huge amount for patients and inmates of quarantine centres, but the patients and migrant workers who returned home suffered due to insufficient food and unhygienic conditions.

I demand the administration to publish the accounts of this," Mr Majumdar said.

Malda nurses up in arms: 

In Malda, nurses at the Chanchal Super Specialty Hospital today put up a demonstration and demanded personal protective equipment (PPE), sanitization of the hospital building and Covid-19 tests for them. They also claimed that there were many coronavirus affected patients in the hospital, but without facilities of proper isolation. The nurses also demanded masks and gloves.

53 fresh Covid cases: 

On the other hand, 53 new cases of Covid-19 were detected in the district last evening, taking the total number of affected to almost 1200. Most of the new cases are from Chanchal, English Bazaar and Ratua sources said.

25 in North Dinajpur: 

In North Dinajpur district, at least 25 new cases were reported today. Sources said that five cases were detected in the Raiganj Municipality.

"The fresh cases in the municipality include two staff members of a private bank," sources said.

Dalkhola Municipality, on the other hand, reported five cases, while the fresh cases included a private MBBS doctor and his wife, sources said. Five cases were also found in the Islampur Municipality, they added. It is further learnt that at least 12 cases were also reported in some rural areas of North Dinajpur district.

(Courtesy & source - The Statesman- https://epaper.thestatesman.com/c/53440535 )